Sperm whales belong to the suborder of toothed whales and dolphins known as odontocetes and are one of the most easily identified whales at sea.
The creatures got their name during the days of commercial whaling.
Whalers thought their large square heads were huge reservoirs for sperm, because when the head was cut open, it was found to contain a milky white substance.
An intestinal secretion called ambergris found in sperm whales was used as a fixative in the perfume industry.
It was once worth more than its weight in gold, but that is no longer the case.
Sperm whales got their name during the days of commercial whaling. Whalers thought their large square heads were huge reservoirs for sperm, because when the head was cut open it was found to contain a milky white substance
Its skin is dark or brownish gray, with white markings around the lower jaw and underside. It has relatively short, blunt fins and a low hump instead of a dorsal fin.
Its diet consists largely of squid. The creatures have a life expectancy roughly equivalent to that of a human, about 70 years.
Males grow to about 18.3 meters (60 feet), while females reach 12 meters (40 feet). Their young, or calves, grow to be about 3.5 meters long.
They have a maximum weight of about 57,000 kilograms (125 tons) for males.
The huge head of the sperm whale, which is up to 1/3 of its total body length, houses the heaviest brain in the animal kingdom.
It also contains a cavity large enough for a small car to fit in that contains a yellowish wax known as spermaceti oil, which is believed to help control buoyancy while diving and act as a acoustic lens.
They have between 40 and 52 teeth in their long, narrow lower jaws that are thick and conical, and can reach 20 cm in length and weigh 1 kg each.
The sperm whale is one of the deepest-diving mammals in the world, regularly making dives to 400 meters (1,300 feet), sometimes to depths of two to three kilometers (one to two miles).
It is believed to be able to hold its breath for up to two hours, although 45 minutes is the average dive time.
Sperm whales are found in most of the world’s oceans, except the high Arctic, and prefer deep waters.
The exact current world population is not known, but is estimated to be about 100,000. The sperm whale is listed as a vulnerable species.