Sperm Whale Characteristics

• The head of sperm whale is filled with an oily, milky-white liquid which was previously perceived to be sperm, hence the name. The liquid, which is called spermaceti, has been speculated to help the sperm whale with buoyancy on its long, deep dives.

• An adult male sperm whale, otherwise known as a bull, can grow to a length of 20 meters much of which is made up of the head (about one-third). It can weigh up to 57,000 kg. Exemptions to these size ranges are the pygmy sperm whale (3-4 m, 408 kg) and the smallest of the species, the dwarf sperm whale (2.7 m, 250kg).

• A sperm whale’s lower tooth is cone-shaped and weighs approximately 1 kg. They have 20 teeth both on the lower jaw and the upper, although the teeth found in the upper jaw are rudimentary in form. The teeth lock together when the mouth is closed.

Behavior and Diet of Sperm Whale

The sperm whale dives very deeply into the ocean, around 9,700 meters below the surface. This is primarily because of their carnivorous diet which consists of squid. Deep sea squid such as the giant and the colossal squid generally live deep down under the sea. The sperm whales consume about 900kg of squid a day.