Good Facts About Sperm Whales
Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are large aquatic mammals found in every ocean on the planet. Immortalized as the "white whale" in Hermann Melville's "Moby Dick," sperm whales have come to symbolize the mystery of deep oceans.
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Habitat
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Sperm whales are the deepest diving whales and prefer deep ocean habitats. Though they can dive to depths of 3,300 feet, sperm whales generally spend their time in depths of around 1,968 feet.
Diet
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Sperm whales are carnivores whose diet is primarily made up of medium-sized squid, octopi and fish. The typical sperm whale consumes around a ton of food per day.
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Size
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The largest of the toothed whales, male sperm whales generally reach lengths of between 49 and 59 feet and may weigh up to 45 tons. Females are smaller and will grow to around 36 feet and weigh up to 14 tons.
History
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Sperm whales have long been valued by whalers for their spermaceti wax (from which the whale derives its name) and the ambergris (which is used to make perfume) in their intestines. Commercial whaling peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries and again in the 1960s. Since then recent estimates show the numbers of sperm whales have been greatly reduced, down from more than 1 million animals to around 360,000.
Fun Fact
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Sperm whales have the largest brains of any living animal, with the average sperm whale brain totaling 20 pounds in weight.
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