Today is ‘World Whale Day’.  Now, there are 90 species of whale, which means I can’t list them all here.  I decided to choose one species to focus on.  Hard choice since there are so many iconic species.  Decided to go with one that is considered ‘Vulnerable’ due to whaling from 1800-1987 that nearly wiped them out.  They are a recovering species with nearly 300,000 individuals out there.  These whales are toothed whales, which means they have teeth instead of baleen.  I put a nickname for it in the title to try and maintain a little suspense.  Let’s look at some facts about the:

SPERM WHALE

• An albino sperm whale that attacked whaling ships in 1839 was the inspiration for ‘Moby Dick’.
• They are found in all deep oceans across the globe.
• They are named after ‘spermaceti’, which is a waxy substance found in their heads.  It helps the whales focus sound, but was mistaken for semen when first discovered.
• Cachalot is supposedly an archaic French word for ‘tooth’.
• Males can weigh up to 50 tons and be 52 feet long.  Females can get to 15 tons and 40 feet long.
• A sperm whale’s head is about 1/3 the length of its body.
• They can dive more than 10,000 feet deep and hold their breath for about 90 minutes.  Upon returning to the surface, they require several minutes of rest.
• They feed on sharks, giant squid, and fish.
• Sperm whale pods are matriarchal with 15-20 females in a group.  Males tend to be independent or move among multiple groups.
• They have the largest brain of any animal on the planet at 9.2 pounds.
• The sonar of a sperm whale can reach a level of 230 decibels.  Fireworks and gunshots are around 140 decibels.  A rocket launch is 180 decibels, which makes sperm whales the loudest animals on Earth.
• Sperm whales have the longest digestive system in the world at 300 meters.  It has four stomachs with the first being covered by a thick lining to protect against the thrashing of still living prey.
• Sperm whales produce ambergris, which is created by squid beaks and pens that cannot be digested.  When these parts aren’t vomited out, they get into the intestines and become ambergris.  This material is used for perfume since it comes out smelling foul, but gains a ‘musky’ scent once it has dried.
• While their population is recovering, there are still threats such as boat collisions, fishing net entanglements, and pollution.
• Orcas will hunt sperm whales, but only the calves and females.  Pilot whales and false killer whales will hunt them too, but Orcas are the only major predator.

So, let’s enjoy a few pictures and videos of these whales.