Sperm Whale Facts

Every animal species, whether it is a small flying insect or the large whale, is characterized with specific attributes that help in their identification. With respect to sperm whale, its nearly rounded forehead and large head make it easily recognizable to us. It is the biggest of all toothed whales (e.g. dolphin, beaked whale). One interesting sperm whale facts worth mentioning is its massive brain (weighing 9 kg), which is recorded to be the largest on this planet. Scroll down to find some more amazing facts about sperm whales.

Sperm Whale Facts for Kids

The sperm whale is a mammal having dark gray skin. This type of whale is categorized under toothed whale, as it bears teeth instead of baleens. The name is assigned with respect to the oily, milky-white fluid that fills up the head portion. This substance is called spermaceti, and was once believed to be sperm. Till date, marine biologists are not sure about the actual role of spermaceti. They are of the opinion that this waxy matter helps the sperm whale in buoyancy regulation at the time of diving deep into the sea. Listed below are some sperm whale facts that may interest you.

Sperm Whale Size
An adult male sperm whale (bull) can grow to 20 m or more, with the head portion occupying one-third of the total body length. The average body weight of this enormous mammal is 57,000 kg. Regarding pygmy sperm whale facts, it is a rare species, small in size (3-4 m) and weighs about 408 kg. The smallest species is the dwarf sperm whale, measuring about 2.7 m in length and weighing not more than 250 kg.

Sperm Whale Teeth
The lower teeth of sperm whale are cone-shaped and weigh about 1 kg. In both sides of the lower jaw, the teeth number is more than 20. The upper jaw bears only rudimentary teeth. While closing mouth, the teeth on lower jaw properly fit the upper jaw. The teeth are used for defense mechanism during attacks between bulls.

Sperm Whale Diving
This enormous mammal has ability to swim very deep in the sea and rise up again. It is claimed that this big head whale dives to about 9,800 meters deep, while holding breath for 1 ½ hours. With this record, it holds the title for deepest diver of all mammals. One of the dwarf sperm whale facts is that it is actually a deep diver, that prefers to feed in coastlines.

Sperm Whale Communication
Some astonishing sperm whale facts include its ability to make vocal sounds (or clangs) for the purpose of echolocation and communication. In fact, it produces the loudest sound than any other animal in the sea. With the help echolocation, the whale can predict the size, shape and distance of its prey.

Sperm Whale Food
Sperm whale is a true carnivorous animal. The major prey is squid (both colossal and giant squids), which inhabits the bottom of the sea. Other food items are octopus, skate and other marine fish. On an average, the adult consumes more than 900 kg of squid and fish per day.

Sperm Whale Reproduction
The male sperm whale attains sexual maturity at about 18 years, while the female matures within 7-13 years. After mating, the female undergoes a gestation period of 14-16 months and gives birth to a single calf. The young suckles from its mother and other females in the group for about 42 months. However, lactation period may be as long as 13 years.

Sperm Whale Social Behavior
The female sperm whale along with their calves dive together in groups. Such groups are called pods, each of which comprise about 15-20 whales. Contrary to females, males are often spotted alone in higher latitudes, or they keep on migrating from one group to another.

Sperm Whale Hunting
Whaling of the sperm whales is done for ambergris, which is a gray colored, waxy substance secreted by their stomach. Freshly isolated ambergris has an unpleasant smell (similar to feces), but the fragrance becomes sweet after some time, and is used popularly in perfume industry.

Uses of Spermaceti
Spermaceti protects the stomach lining from being bitten by squids. Very often, the sperm whale regurgitates it in large amounts. The spermaceti extracted from the head of sperm whale solidifies, after being exposed to low temperature condition. Commercially, it is used in making machine oils, candles, soaps and other cosmetic products.

So, aren't sperm whale facts interesting? Besides human attacks, natural predators of sperm whale are very few, of which the killer whale (orcas) is one of them. Unfortunately, the number of sperm whales has decreased significantly, due to large-scale whaling. Also, pygmy and dwarf sperm whales are rare species. In their natural habitat, the lifespan of a sperm whale is about 70 years.