Sperm Whale - Physeter Catodon


The Sperm whale is the largest of all the toothed cetaceans and has the largest brain of any animal upon earth. Named Sperm whale for the spermaceti oil found in its head, this whale was heavily hunted particularly for its oil. Before the advent of synthetic oils, the spermaceti oil was the finest oil known for running machinery.

The Sperm whale, like the Gray whale, exhibited revenge when hunted, and has destroyed small vessels killing many whalers. The famed Moby Dick was a Sperm whale. Inhabiting every ocean in the world, this species somehow survived the whaling days in fairly large numbers and at present there may be between half a million and a million sperm whales alive.

Sperm whales are very deep divers and can probably dive as deep as 10,000 feet, which is astonishing considering the fact that they are air breathing mammals; the pressure alone at this depth is unimaginable. They can remain submerged for over one hour. Here they hunt giant squid, which seems to be their favorite food. They emit a rapid series of clicks and noises that sound like gunshots, the clicks become faster and faster as they home in on their prey. Among this species, males are considerably larger than females, the difference being 34-37 feet for females and 55-60 feet for males. The Sperm whale, along with the dwarf and pygmy sperm whales, are the only cetaceans to have their blowholes not in the center on top of their heads, but displaced to the left side, so that the spout is low and bushy and goes off to the left side of its body. This allows for an easy field identification even from a great distance, especially on calm days when a spout would otherwise go straight upwards. Large males can weigh up to 50 tons or 100,000 pounds making them a very large and fierce predator. Adult Sperm whales are an awesome sight. They will occasionally breach and also swim close attempting to interact with boats. They often bring their tails high out of the water while diving and the distinct shape of each tail is the best type of individual identification available to the researcher.

In the Sea of Cortez Sperm whales can be seen in every month of the year. While they are not common in these waters, they can appear at any moment. After a deep dive they stay on the surface for 5 minutes or more taking many breaths. This is when they are usually first noticed by the whale watcher. Often when encountered they will stay in the general vicinity for a few days, and in recent years we have been observing groups of males ranging from 3-11 in number. At other times cow/calf pairs have been seen with the calves often exhibiting much curiosity toward our boat.

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