SCIENTIFIC NAME: Kogia simus

DISCOVERED: Owen, 1866

COMMON NAME: Dwarf Sperm Whale

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:

Appears to prefer warmer waters and seems to be especially common off the southern tip of Africa and in the Gulf of California, Mexico, where it occurs fairly close to the shore

DESCRIPTION:

Small size
Prominent, falcate fin
False gill behind each eye
Robust body
Squarish head
Smallest of all whales

NATURAL HISTORY:

HABITAT:

Predominantly a deep-water species
Possibly concentrated over the edge of the continental shelf
Lack of records of where the animals live may be due to inconspicuous behavior

FOOD & FEEDING:

Diet consists primarily of squid
Fish and crustaceans also taken
May dive to depths of at least 300 m in order to retrieve food

LIFE CYCLE:

Grow to about 2.7 m
Length at birth is 1 m
Males and females have similar appearances
Sexual maturity= 2.1- 2.2 m (both males and females)
Calving season lasts six months
Evidence which suggests prolonged lactation
Gestation period of 9.5 months

BEHAVIOR:

Low inconspicuous blow
May float motionless at surface
Slow, dilberate movement
Simply drops below surface
When startled, may evacuate a reddish brown intestinal fluid and then dive- may serve as a decoy
Probably does not approach boats
May occasionally breach, leaping vertically out of the water a belly flop
Probably dives to depths of at least 985 ft. (300 m)

WORLD POPULATION:

Nothing known about abundance or stock identity
One of the more common species to come onshore when stranded
Generally thought to be more common than previously thought
Unobstrusive behavior responsible for lack of records on sightings

HUMAN INFLUENCE

No major threats to this species
Possibly some cases of casual exploitation with early whalers
Some appear in small cetacean fisheries off southern Japan, Indonesia, and St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles
Sometimes seen in fishing markets in Sri Lanka- through accidental catches
Main use is for meat for human consumption
Plastic bags sometimes found in the stomach, which can prevent digestion of food and ultimately, cause death