- Whales, including sperm whales, are mammals. Mammals are vertebrate, warm-blooded creatures. The females of the species give birth to live babies, as opposed to eggs. Mammals also have a covering of hair on their skin at some point in their lives. For example, whales have hair on their jaw and part of their chin.
- Although whales live underwater, they still breathe like all mammals. Most mammals take air into their lungs from their mouth and nose. Their bodies take the oxygen and when they exhale, their bodies release carbon dioxide. Sperm whales don't take air from their mouths and noses like humans and other land mammals, but they use their blow hole located on the front left side of their head. Some whales have blow holes on their backs rather than their heads. Sperm whales have one blow hole; some other species have two.
- Sperm whales dive deeply, and in fact can go to depths of up to 1.9 miles. For this reason, when they come to the surface to breathe they can take in enough air to last about 90 minutes under the water. When sperm whales come to the surface, they will use their blow holes located on the left side of their head to breathe for about 8 to 10 minutes. During this time, observers may see "water spouts" coming out of the blow hole. This is not a water spout, but rather condensation or water vapor similar to when a person can see his breath when it's cold outside.
