Species: Physeter macrocephalus

Sperm Whale
Species

    The largest of the toothed whales, this species has a disproportionately large head, especially in males, that dominates the body. Skin posterior to the head appears corrugated or shriveled. Color is gray with a lighter area on belly and forehead; skin is white around the mouth. These whales have a distinct dorsal hump, usually rounded or obtuse, about two-thirds of the way behind their snout. Immediately behind the hump, a series of knuckles are visible when whale arches its back before diving (Alaska Geographic Society 1996). Blowhole is set forward on the head and skewed strongly to the left. Males are roughly one-third longer than females (males 18.3 m, females 11 m) and twice as a heavy. There are 20-26 pairs of large, conical teeth along the lower jaw that fit into sockets in the upper jaw (Reeves et al. 2002).

    Articles:

    Marine mammals from distant places visit Puget Sound

    The reasons for the surprise visits are unknown, but changes in environmental conditions here or elsewhere are one possibility.

    Yukusam the sperm whale in Haro Strait off of Turn Point Lighthouse, Stuart Island, WA. March 2018. Photo: Copyright Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching (used with permission) http://sanjuanislandwhalewatch.com/first-ever-sperm-whale-san-juan-islands/
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Mammalia

    Order

    Cetacea

    Family

    Physeteridae

    Genus

    Physeter

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    Cachalote - cachalot macrocéphale
    Informal Taxonomy
    Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Whales and Dolphins
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Cetacea - Physeteridae - Physeter - .

    The largest of the toothed whales, this species has a disproportionately large head, especially in males, that dominates the body. Skin posterior to the head appears corrugated or shriveled. Color is gray with a lighter area on belly and forehead; skin is white around the mouth. These whales have a distinct dorsal hump, usually rounded or obtuse, about two-thirds of the way behind their snout. Immediately behind the hump, a series of knuckles are visible when whale arches its back before diving (Alaska Geographic Society 1996). Blowhole is set forward on the head and skewed strongly to the left. Males are roughly one-third longer than females (males 18.3 m, females 11 m) and twice as a heavy. There are 20-26 pairs of large, conical teeth along the lower jaw that fit into sockets in the upper jaw (Reeves et al. 2002).

    Short General Description
    A large ondontocete (toothed) whale.
    Habitat Type Description
    Marine
    Migration
    false - false - true - Seasonal north-south migration; at higher latitudes in summer than in winter. Males move north in the summer to feed. In fall, both sexes migrate toward the equator. In winter, typically distributed south of 40 degrees N. Females, calves, and young remain in tropical or temperate waters while older males migrate to higher latitudes in summer. Males sometimes occur as far north as the Bering Sea.
    Non-migrant
    false
    Locally Migrant
    false
    Food Comments
    Eats primarily medium to large squids, sometimes also octopus and various fishes. Large males at high latitudes also take large quantities of demersal and mesopelagic sharks, skates and fishes (Gosho et al. 1984, Jefferson et al.1993, Perry et al. 1999, Whitehead 2003). Dives deeply when foraging, some dives over 1800 m have been recorded, but most are less than 500 m (Potter and Birchler, in Wilson and Ruff 1999). Apparently feeds throughout the year. Although species population depleted by whaling, may take about 75 million metric tons of food from the ocean each year; an amount similar to that taken by all human marine fisheries (Whitehead 2003).
    Reproduction Comments
    Gestation lasts 14-15 months. Births occur May-September in Northern Hemisphere, November-March in Southern Hemisphere. Single young is produced every 3-6 years. Young are weaned in about 1.5-3.5 years, though young may continue to nurse for several years. Females sexually mature at 7-11 years; pregnancy rate gradually declines after age 14. Males may not breed until about 25 years old. May up to at least 60-70 years.
    Ecology Comments
    Basic social unit is mixed school of adult females plus their calves and juveniles (usually about 20-40 individuals). As males grow older they leave this group and form bachelor schools (of variable sizes up to about 50 individuals). The largest males tend to be solitary (but see Christal and Whitehead 1997). Likely the world's deepest diving mammal (documented at 2,500 m.).
    Length
    1830
    Weight
    4.8E7
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G3G4
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    2008-01-15
    Global Status Last Changed
    1996-11-15
    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=S3&CA.LB=SNR&CA.NF=SNR&CA.NU=SNR&US.AK=S3&US.CA=SNR&US.FL=SNR&US.GA=SNR&US.HI=SNR&US.ME=SNR&US.MD=__&US.MA=S1&US.MS=SNR&US.NY=__&US.NC=__&US.OR=__&US.SC=S1&US.TX=S1&US.WA=__" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    Global Range
    H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - Throughout the world's oceans; adult females and young generally stay between 40 degrees north and 40 degrees south latitude. Nonbreeding males range into high latitude waters. Northern and southern hemisphere populations apparently are reproductively isolated from each other. See IUCN (1991) for further details.
    Global Range Code
    H
    Global Range Description
    >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101043