|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
sperm
whale, cachalot, black whale |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Cetacea |
| SUBORDER: |
Odontoceti |
| FAMILY: |
Physeteridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Physeter
macrocephalus [formerly catadon] |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| DESCRIPTION: |
The
sperm whale is a large, dark-colored, toothed whale
with a massive, square-shaped head that can make
up more than a third of its body length. It has
a single blowhole that is set on the forehead and
to the left, which produces a distinctive, angled
blow. |
|
| SIZE: |
Maximum
size approaches 20 m (65.6 ft.); males grow substantially
larger than females |
| MALE |
15.2
m (50 ft.) |
| FEMALE |
10.7
m (35 ft.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
39,500
kg (87,000 lbs.) |
| FEMALE |
12,200
kg (27,000 lbs.) |
|
| DIET: |
Predominantly
squid; also occassionally feed on octopi, sharks
and other fish species |
|
| GESTATION: |
14-19
months |
| NURSING
DURATION |
2
or more years |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
|
| MALE |
In
their 20's |
| FEMALE |
Approximately
9 years of age |
|
|
|
| RANGE: |
All
oceans - particularly between 40°N & 40°S.
Adult males may venture beyond 50°N or S.
Most frequent off South American and African coasts,
waters of the North Atlantic, Arabian sea, waters
between Australia and New Zealand, western North
Pacific, and all along the equator (particularly
in the Pacific).
|
|
| HABITAT: |
Typically
found in deep, offshore waters in excess of 600
m (1,968 ft.) with cold-water upwellings.
|
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Vulnerable
(VU A1bd) |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Endangered |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 1. |
Sperm
whales posess the most asymetrical skull of any
mammal. |
| |
|
| 2. |
Sperm
whales have the largest brain of any living animal
- weighing up to 4.2 kg (9.2 lbs.). |
| |
|
| 3. |
Sperm
whales have been sonar tracked in dives exceeding
2,250 m (1.4 miles). Analysis of stomach contents
indicates that sperm whales are capable of diving
beyond 3,000 m (1.9 miles). |
| |
|
| 4. |
The
longest recorded dive for a sperm whale was in excess
of two hours. |
| |
|
| 5. |
Sperm
whales receive their common name for the massive
spermaceti organ located in the forehead region.
This organ can hold up to 1,900 liters (500 gal.)
of wax-like oil. Opinions differ as to the purpose
of the spermaceti. Some scientists believe that
variations in oil density may assist the sperm whale
in adjusting its bouyancy during dives. Other scientists
believe that the oil is used as an accoustic aid
in the process of echolocation. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Occasionally
sperm whales will strand in large numbers.
There
is at least one documented attack of killer whales
on a sperm whale. Large sharks may also potentially
prey on young sperm whales.
The
sperm whale was commercially hunted in the 18th
and 19th centuries for its spermaceti oil, blubber
(also for oil) and their meat.
The
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 protects
sperm whales in U.S. waters.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Byrum,
J. A World beneath the Waves: Whales, Dolphins,
and Porpoises. SeaWorld Education Department
Publication. San Diego. SeaWorld, Inc. 1998. |
| |
| Jefferson,
T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. FAO Species
Identification Guide. Marine Mammals of the World.
Rome. FAO, 1993. |
| |
|
Leatherwood,
Stephen, and Reeves, Randall R. The Sierra
Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. San
Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1983.
|
| |
| Nowak,
Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World.
Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1991. |
| |
| Reeves,
R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and J.A. Powell
(Peter Folkens illustrator). National Audubon
Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
New York: Random House, 2002. |
| |
IUCN
Cetacean Specialist Group
http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/actionplans/cetaceans/cetaceans.pdf |
| |
| http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/spermwhales.htm |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
