Sperm Whales: Physeteridae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Sperm Whales And People, Sperm Whale (physeter Macrocephalus): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS
water deep eat population
Members of this family are found in oceans worldwide.
These are deep-water whales, living in water over 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) deep. Smaller species may live in slightly shallower water.
Sperm whales eat mainly squid, although they will also eat fish, crabs, and octopus that live on or near the ocean bottom.
Not enough is known about the smaller sperm whales to give them a conservation rating. Although there is some debate about population size, giant sperm whales are considered Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction, because of slow recovery from population declines that resulted from hunting.
Additional Topics
The family of sperm whales contains the largest toothed whale—the giant sperm whale—and two smaller toothed whales. All are dark gray above, lighter gray on the belly, and have erupted (visible) teeth only in the lower jaw. Although these animals range in size and weight from 9 feet (2.7 meters) and 600 pounds (270 kilograms), to 60 feet (18.3 meters) and 125,000 pounds (57,000 kilog…
Sperm whales appear to be very social, communicating through a series of clicks, whistles, and similar sounds. It appears as if each whale has a personal identification sound called a coda, that it makes when it meets other whales. These animals live in small groups. The composition of the group with regard to age, gender, and size changes as these animals age. Almost nothing is known about reprod…
Physical characteristics: Sperm whales, sometimes called giant sperm whales to distinguish them from the smaller members of this family, are the largest toothed whales. They can reach 60 feet (18.3 meters) in length and weigh 125,000 pounds (57,000 kilograms). Males are much larger than females, who reach only about 36 feet (11 meters) and 33,000 pounds (15,000 kilograms). Although these whales ar…
Physical characteristics: The pygmy sperm whale is one of two small species in this family. These whales are about 11 feet long (3.4 meters) and weigh about 600 pounds (400 kilograms). They have blue-gray backs and a shape that makes them look something like a shark. Unlike the giant sperm whale, their head is only about 15 percent of their body length. They also have a much smaller spermaceti org…
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