Cachelot, Pot whale, Spermacet whale, Great Sperm whale, Giant Sperm whale
The Sperm whale or cachalot (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the Pygmy sperm whale and Dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia. The Sperm whale uses echolocation and vocalization as loud as 230 decibels (re 1 µPa m) underwater. It also has the largest brain on Earth, more than five times heavier than a human's. Spermaceti (sperm oil), from which the whale derives its name, was a prime target of the whaling industry and was sought after for use in oil lamps, lubricants, and candles. Ambergris, a solid waxy waste product sometimes present in its digestive system, is still highly valued as a fixative in perfumes, among other uses.
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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CosmopolitanAnimals with cosmopolitan distribution are those whose range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Another aspect of cos...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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Giant AnimalsThe Sperm whale's unique body is unlikely to be confused with any other species. The whale’s distinctive shape comes from its very large, block-shaped head, which can be one-quarter to one-third of the animal's length. The S-shaped blowhole is located very close to the front of the head and shifted to the whale's left. This gives rise to a distinctive bushy, forward-angled spray. The Sperm whale's flukes (tail lobes) are triangular and very thick. Proportionally, they are larger than that of any other cetacean and are very flexible. The whale lifts its flukes high out of the water as it begins a feeding dive. It has a series of ridges on the back's caudal third instead of a dorsal fin. The largest ridge was called the 'hump' by whalers and can be mistaken for a dorsal fin because of its shape and size. In contrast to the smooth skin of most large whales, its back skin is usually wrinkly and has been likened to a prune by whale-watching enthusiasts. Albinos have also been reported.
Sperm whales are among the most cosmopolitan species. They prefer ice-free waters over 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) deep. They are relatively abundant from the poles to the equator and are found in all the oceans. Although Sperm whales are usually found in deep, off-shore waters, they may also be seen closer to shore, in areas where the continental shelf is small and drops quickly to depths of 310 to 920 meters (1,020 to 3,020 ft). Grown males may even enter surprisingly shallow bays to rest (whales will be in a state of rest during these occasions). There are unique, coastal groups reported from various areas around the globe such as near Scotland's coastal waters, and Shiretoko Peninsula, off Kaikoura, in the Davao Gulf.
Sperm whales are very gregarious and they form groups of around 100 individuals, roughly according to age and gender. More common, however, are loose family groups of about 30 animals. Groups often consist of either "nursery schools" of juveniles and adult females, as distinct from groups of bachelor bulls. Older males are typically solitary except in the breeding season. These whales make clicking sounds for echolocation, but also use a range of other sounds such as groans, whistles, chirps, squeaks, pings, yelps, and wheezes. They also make a stereotyped, repetitive series of around 3-40 clicks when they meet another whale, known as a whale's "coda." A Sperm whale is a very deep diver and may remain underwater from 20 minutes to more than an hour. On surfacing, they usually blow 20 to 70 times before diving again. Sperm whales usually dive between 300 to 800 meters (980 to 2,620 ft), and sometimes 1 to 2 kilometers (3,300 to 6,600 ft), in search of food.[157] Such dives can last more than an hour. They hunt through echolocation. Their clicks are among the most powerful sounds in the animal kingdom and it has been hypothesized that they can stun prey with their clicks.
Sperm whales are carnivores (molluscivores) and feed primarily on squid (particularly giant squid), octopi, and deepwater fish, and also sharks and skates.
Sperm whales have a polygynous mating system, which means that one male mates with multiple females. During the breeding season, they form breeding schools consisting of 1-5 big males and a group of males and females of various ages. There is fierce competition among males for females (which includes battles that leave scars all over the males' heads). Spring is the peak of the breeding season. Gestation lasts for 14-16 months and one calf is born and is nursed for as long as 2 years. Groups of female whales protect their calves by means of a defensive ‘marguerite formation’, where the young are placed in the middle of the group with a circle of females around them, facing their tail outwards. The cycle of reproduction occurs every 2 to 5 years in females, who mature sexually by 8-11 years of age, while males are reproductively mature at about 10 years, although they reach 25 to 27 years of age before they mate.
Sperm whales suffer from commercial harpoon fisheries in Indonesia, the Lesser Antilles, and Japan. Selective hunting of the biggest breeding males will probably have decreased rates of reproduction, and the loss of the largest female whales from nursery groups will have decreased the groups' survival. Further threats include becoming tangled in fishing gear, collisions with boats, underwater and anthropogenic noise, and an increasing concern as regards the habitat of whales, particularly for deep-diving sperm whales that make use of sound when feeding, communicating, and navigating in the ocean.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total Sperm whale population size is unknown but is thought to be between 100,000-360,000 individuals. This species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the list of threatened species.
It has been stated that Sperm whales help fertilize the surface of the ocean by consuming nutrients in the depths and transporting those nutrients to the oceans' surface when they defecate; this effect is known as the whale pump. This fertilizes phytoplankton and other plants on the surface of the ocean and contributes to ocean productivity and the drawdown of atmospheric carbon.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...