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)
Sperm whale
Order : Cetacea
Suborder : Odontoceti
Family : Physeteridae
Species : Physeter catodon
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:
- Largest known toothed creature ever.
- Deepest dive by a mammal (sperm whales have been found in depths of 2,200 (7,200 feet) meters, tangled in telegraph cables).
- 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.
- Thickest skin. On back and head, sperm whale's skin (not including subcutaneous fat) is sometimes up to 35 centimeters (14 inches) thick.
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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