Sperm whale



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Some facts about the
Sperm whale

Adult weight : 42500 kg (93500 lbs)

Maximum longevity : 77 years

Female maturity :2922 days

Male maturity : 3650 days

Gestation : 502 days

Weaning : 560 days

Litter size : 1

Interval between litters : 1259 days

Weight at birth : 1000 kg (2200 lbs)

Source: AnAge, licensed under CC

Sperm whale

Order : Cetacea
Suborder : Odontoceti
Family : Physeteridae
Species : Physeter catodon

 

Sperm whale The Sperm whale (Physeter catodon) is believed to be the largest toothed animal living today on earth. It has gotten its name because scientists thought they found a milky white substance in its head and they mistakenly thought it was sperm, although actually it was a kind of whale oil. A male sperm whale's head is about one-third of its total length. The part of its scientific name "macrocephalus" means "long head". The brain of this magnificent animal is the largest ever recorded: 7 kg! The tail (see picture) is triangular in shape and lifted very high when going for a deep dive...

Some world records of the Sperm Whale:

  1. Largest known toothed creature ever.
  2. Deepest dive by a mammal (sperm whales have been found in depths of 2,200 (7,200 feet) meters, tangled in telegraph cables).
  3. Largest brain of any living creature on Earth. The brain of a mature sperm whale weighs 7 kg (15 pound), though there have been specimens with 9 kg (20 pound) brains.
  4. Thickest skin. On back and head, sperm whale's skin (not including subcutaneous fat) is sometimes up to 35 centimeters (14 inches) thick.

    (source Wikipedia)

1. sperm whale, cachalot, black whale, Physeter catodon -- (large whale with a large cavity in the head containing spermaceti and oil; also a source of ambergris)
sperm whale
cachalot
black whale
Physeter catodon
(Source WordNet)

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