SCIENTIFIC NAME: Physeter macrocephalus -- from the Greek physeter (blower), makers (long) and kephale (head).

COMMON NAME: Sperm Whale

DISCOVERED: Linnaeus, 1758

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:

Widely distributed in deep waters worldwide between 60 degrees N and 70 degrees S
Different migration patterns for males and females -- male more poleward
Shifts occur in spring and summer, returning in fall

EXTERNAL ANATOMY

INTERNAL ANATOMY

DEEP DIVING ADAPTATIONS

HABITAT:

Frequents both offshore and inshore waters

FOOD & FEEDING:

Squid, ocassionally octopus and fish including salmon, rockfish, lincod and skates
92 minute feeding dive
Female and immature sperm whale usually dive for food about 40 minutes at less than 500 m.
Usually find their food in upper sections of water column and particularly in the evenings, often within a few meters of the surface

LIFE CYCLE:

May live more than 50 years
Grows steadily during and after weaning period
Males are sexually mature at 0 years and up at 10-12 m long and females at 8-11 years at 8.3-9.1 m long
Mating most active in April
Pregnancy lasts 16-17 months

BEHAVIOR:

Able to hold breath longest of all whales
Known to dive at least 1100 meters -- may reach more than 3000 meters
Remain submerged for hour or more
Single, explosive blow -- may remain on surface and emit more than 50 blows before next dive
Throw triangular flukes before beginning dive
Hundreds may travel together, but there are 2 main groups: "bachelor schools" (young, inactive males) and "breeding schools" (females with young of both sexes)
Typically contain 20-25 animals
Older males tend to live in solitary or small groups of up to 6 animals

SPERM WHALE SONGS: The following .au files are just a sampling of the many sounds of the Sperm Whale.

Clicks [68k .au file]
Clicks 2 [145k .au file]
Clicks 3 [26k .au file]
Rapid clicks [264k .au file]
"Machine-gun" Clicks [68k .au file]
Creak [119k .au file]
Codas [153k .au file]
Coadas 2 [179k .au file]
Trumpet [17k .au file]
Trumpet 2 [34k .au file]

WORLD POPULATION

Total world population unknown

40,000-80,000 in North Pacific
32,000 in southern hemisphere south of 30 degrees S

HUMAN INFLUENCES

Was one of the most heavily exploited of all the world's whales, although it is still relatively abundant
Threats:

Human disturbance
Entanglement in fishing nets both deliberately and unconsciously
Environmental degradation (i.e. pollution, swallowing man-made objects)

Modern whaling changed the age and sex structure of stocks by selectively removing large adult whales
Used for industrial products such as oil, spermacet, wax, meal, ambergis (waxy substance used in perfume industry)