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Facts and Knowledge:
The Sperm Whale is the largest of the toothed whales and can reach a length of 65 feet. Its massive round head accounts for about on third of its total body length. Its is believed that the sperm whole dives deeper than any other marine mammal and may reach depths of more than 10,000 feet, although the deepest recorded dive is 4,000. feet. A large bull whale can dive deepest and for the longest period of time, staying underwater for up to 45 minutes.
Habits: The sperm whale is a sociable animal that lives in groups. The group structure varies according to the age and sex of the whale. The males generally live apart from females. The females form groups together with their young, numbering from five to thirty animals. There are also smaller bachelor pods of young, non breeding whales as well as much larger harem groups consisting of many females, young, and a dominant, sexually mature bulls. The whale swim, dive, feed, and sleep together within their group. They also have a language of sonar clicks with which to communicate. In summer, the whales migrate to feed in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Whale & Man:The sperm whale has been ruthlessly hunted by man for centuries, and continues to be persecuted. Whalers have taken advantage of the whale's protective instinct, whereby all members of a group will surround an injured animal in what is known as a Marguerite formation. They harpoon a single sperm whale to attract other whales who come to its rescue and then kill them as well. Man hunts the sperm whale for food, and for it oil its blubber provides. It is also hunted for the spermaceti wax found in its head and for a substance called ambergris found in the intestines.
Breeding:Groups of sperm whales begin their migration to the equator from the Arctic and Antarctic every fall for the winter breeding season. The bulls attempt to form harems of up to thirty adult females. Fierce fighting between rival males for females are not uncommon. Once the harem is established, the bull mates wit h any female not already pregnant or with young. After mating, the female gives birth 14 to 16 months later. THe other females protect her while she's giving birth and then help the calf to the surface to takes it first breath. The mother feeds her calf with fat rich milk for as long as two years, by which time it has grown to a length of 23 feet.
Food & Hunting: The sperm whale feeds on bottom dwelling organisms such as squid. Sometimes giant squid put up such a struggle that scars are made on the whales head by the tentacles. Scientist are not certain how the sperm whale catches it spray, but it is believed that the whale stuns it with very loud sound waves. The sperm whale will also also eat snapper, lobster, and even shark. It swallows its prey whole. An adult whale will eat up to one ton of food day.
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species
Height:
Length: Male 50-65
ft
Length Female: 35-55ft
Weight: male average 80,000 lbs . female
up to 44,000 lbs
Breeding:
Sexual maturity: 10 years (40 ft
long) for males but they usually breed after 25 years.
Mating Males: Annually
Mating Females: about every 4 years
Gestation: 14 to 16 months
No of young Usually 1 calf
Lifestyle:
Habit: Sociable, living in groups
Call: Whistles and clicks.
Diet: Bottom dwelling fish.
Life span:about 70 years
Related species: The pygmy sperm whale
(kogia breviceps) and the dwarf sperm whale (k.simus)
Distribution: The sperm whale lives in
the oceans of the world in two distinct groups, one migrating north of
the equator to the Arctic and the other south of the equator to the Antarctic.
Conservation: Despite protection from
the International Whaling Commission, number have dropped from 170,000
males and slightly fewer females to only 71,000 males and 125,000 females.
Special Adaptations of the Sperm Whale:
Blowhole: The Sperm Whale can hold its
breath for more than an hour underwater. It returns to the surface
to blow (expel) spent air from its blowhole.
Spermaceti wax: The whale controls its
buoyancy when ascending or diving by drawing water through the nasal passages
to heat or cool the vast amounts of spermaceti wax.
Did you know:
The sperm whale is born without teeth, which
do not begin to grow until it reaches sexual maturity. THe largest
teeth are 11 inches long.
A small group of whales is called a pod.
The sperm whale can dive 560 feet per minute;
it ascends to the surface at 460 feet per minute. When the whale
expels air after a deep dive, the noise it makes can be heard half a mile
away.
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