Sperm Whale
| Order | Cetacea |
| Sub-Order | Odonoceti |
| Family | Peridae |
| Genus & Species | Physeter macrocephalus |
| Length | Males, 50-65 feet; Females, 35-55 feet |
| Weight | Males average 80,000 pounds; females 44,000 pounds |
| Sexual maturity | About 10 years (40ft. long) for males,
but they usually breed after 25 years |
| Mating | Males, annually. Females about every 4 years |
| Gestation | 14-16 months |
| Number of Young | Single calf |
| Habit | Sociable, living in groups |
| Call | Whistles and clicks |
| Diet | Bottom-dwelling fish |
| Lifespan | Up to 70 years |
The sperm whale is a sociable animal that lives in groups. The group structure varies according to the age and sex of
the whale. Males generally live apart from females. The females form groups together with their young, numbering from
five to thirty animals. There are also smaller bachelor pods of young, non-breeding whales as well as the much larger
harem groups consisting of many females, young, and a dominant, sexually mature bull. The whales swim, dive, feed and
sleep together within their group. They also have a language of sonar clicks with which to communicate. In summer, the
whales migrate to feed in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Groups of sperm whales begin their migration to the equator from the Arctic and Antarctic every fall for the winter
breeding season. The bulls attempt to form harems of up to thirty adult females.
Fierce fights between rival males
for females are not uncommon. Once the harem is established, the bull mates with any female not already pregnant or with young.
After mating, the female gives birth 14-16 months later. The other females protect her while she is giving birth and
then help the calf to the surface to take its first breath. the mother feeds her calf with fat-rich milk for as long as
2 years, by which time it has grown to a length of 23 feet.
The sperm whale feeds on bottom-dwelling organisms such as squid. Sometimes giant squid put up such a struggle that scars
are made on the whale's head by the tentacles. Scientists are not certain how the sperm whale catches its prey, but it is
believed that the whale stuns it with very loud sound waves. The sperm whale will also eat snapper, lobster, and even
shark. It swallows its prey whole. An adult whale will eat up to one ton of food every day.
The sperm whale has been ruthlessly hunted by man for centuries, and continues to be persecuted. Whalers have taken advantage
of the whale's protective instinct, whereby all members of a group will surround an injured animal in what is known as
a
Marguerite formation. They harpoon a single sperm whale to attract other whales who come to its rescue and then kill them
as well. Man hunts the sperm whale for food, and for the oil its blubber provides. It is also hunted for the spermaceti
wax found in its head and for a substance called ambergris found in the
intestines.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
| The sperm whale is born without teeth, which do not
begin to grow until it reaches sexual maturity. The largest
teeth are 11 inches long |
| | A small group of whales is called a pod |
| | The sperm whale can dive 560 feet per minute; it ascends to
the surface at 460 feet per minute. When the whale expels
air after a deep dive, the noise it makes can be heard half a mile away |
Information is Copyright IMP BV/IMP Inc. Wildlife Fact File
|