Mammals of the WorldSperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Physeteridae
- Genus
- Physeter
- IUCN status
- VU
- Distribution
- Albania|Algeria|Angola|Antarctica|Antigua and Barbuda|Argentina|Australia|Bahamas|Bangladesh|Barbados|Belgium|Belize|Benin|Bonaire|Sint Eustatius|Saba|Brazil|Brunei|Cape Verde|Cameroon|Canada|Chile|China|Colombia|Comoros|Costa Rica|Croatia|Christmas Island|Curaçao|Cyprus|Denmark|Djibouti|Dominica|Dominican Republic|Ecuador|Egypt|El Salvador|Equatorial Guinea|Falkland Islands|Fiji|France|Gabon|Gambia|Ghana|Greece|Greenland|Grenada|Guatemala|Guinea|Guinea-Bissau|Guyana|Haiti|Honduras|Iceland|India|Indonesia|Iran|Ireland|Israel|Italy|Jamaica|Japan|Kenya|Kiribati|North Korea|South Korea|Lebanon|Liberia|Libya|Madagascar|Malaysia|Maldives|Malta|Marshall Islands|Mauritania|Mauritius|Mexico|Micronesia|Morocco|Mozambique|Namibia|Nauru|Netherlands|New Zealand|Nicaragua|Nigeria|Niue|Norway|Oman|Pakistan|Palau|Panama|Papua New Guinea|Peru|Philippines|Portugal|Russia|Saint Helena|Saint Kitts and Nevis|Saint Lucia|Sint Maarten|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|Samoa|São Tomé and Príncipe|Senegal|Seychelles|Sierra Leone|Singapore|Slovenia|Solomon Islands|Somalia|South Africa|Spain|Sri Lanka|Suriname|Syria|Taiwan|Tanzania|Thailand|East Timor|Togo|Tonga|Trinidad and Tobago|Tunisia|Turkey|Tuvalu|United Kingdom|United States|Uruguay|Vanuatu|Venezuela|Vietnam|Yemen|American Samoa?|Anguilla?|Aruba?|Bermuda?|Bosnia and Herzegovina?|Cambodia?|Cayman Islands?|Cocos Islands?|Republic of the Congo?|Democratic Republic of the Congo?|Cook Islands?|Cote d'Ivoire?|Eritrea?|French Guiana?|French Polynesia?|Germany?|Guadeloupe?|Guam?|Martinique?|Mayotte?|Montenegro?|Montserrat?|Myanmar?|New Caledonia?|Norfolk Island?|Northern Marianas?|Palestine?|Pitcairn?|Puerto Rico?|Qatar?|Réunion?|Saudi Arabia?|South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands?|United Arab Emirates?|United States Virgin Islands?|British Virgin Islands?|Wallis and Futuna?
- Realm
- Marine
Other names: Cachalot|Pot Whale|Spermacet Whale
About this species
Notable features include the largest brain on Earth, more than five times heavier than a human's, and the longest intestinal system in the world, exceeding 300 m in large animals. Sperm whales can live 70 years or more (Wikipedia, general species account). Females and young males live together in groups and the females cooperate to protect and nurse the young, while mature bulls live alone outside the mating season. (Wikipedia, general species account).
The sperm whale, or cachalot, is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator, a pelagic species with a worldwide range that migrates seasonally for feeding and breeding. It hunts squid on deep dives, using echolocation clicks to search for prey (Wikipedia, general species account). The species is a pelagic mammal with a worldwide range, and will migrate seasonally for feeding and breeding. The teeth are functional, but do not appear to be necessary for capturing or eating squid, as well-fed animals have been found without teeth or even with deformed jaws. (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of sulawesi guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)