Statistics
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Physeter macrocephalus
MEANING: Physeter: "blower "; macrocephalus: "large-headed"
RANGE: Deeper waters of all oceans, except in polar regions.
LENGTH: (Male) 15-18 meters (45-54 feet); (Female) 10-12 meters (33-39 feet)
WEIGHT: (Male) 35-50 tons; (Female) 13-22 tons
DIET: Large squid, octopus, cuttlefish, sharks, barracuda, and tuna
Description
This is perhaps the best known of the great whales. Ask someone to draw a picture of a whale, and they will probably begin the bulging "forehead" that is so prominent in this species. Indeed, the head accounts for up to one-third of this animal's total length. Most of this head is made up of the highly modified breathing apparatus - the nose of the creature.
Spermaceti, the waxy substance for which these whales were named, fills most of the head. Just what its function is remains uncertain. Buoyancy regulation has been suggested, but there are problems with this hypothesis. Echolocation, a sonar-like technique used to locate food and underwater obstacles in the decreasing visibility of the depths, has been demonstrated in other toothed whales, but has yet to be conclusively shown in sperm whales. Further study with instruments other than harpoons is sorely needed here.
These whales excel in their diving abilities, having been tracked to depths of 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). They may remain submerged for up to 75 minutes.
