Sperm Whale

The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales.

 

Its most prominent feature is the enormous head, which can be up to 1/3 of the whale’s body length, which is up to 17-20 m. The powerful spout slants to the left, with the blowhole being located on the front left side of the head.

 

The sperm whale holds the diving record with being able to stay submerged for up to 2 hours. Though commonly, the dive will last for 30-40 miuntes. When emerging, it remains on the surface for 5-10 minutes. Before diving, it will raise their flukes.

 

The diet consists mainly of squid, redfish, black halibut, monkfish and various other fish species. Scientists found out, that they also feed on giant squid, which is the reason for them to penetrate high dephts.

 

The 1,200-1,400 individuals frequenting Icelandic waters in summertime, are bulls, which have lost the competition for the females. The female whales remain in their breeding grounds in the southern seas, together with the strongest males.

Sperm whale as on Wikipedia

Length:

12–18 meters

Weight:

30–50 tons.

Worldwide population:

Uncertain, at least few hundred thousand

Life expectancy:

 Ca. 70 years