The sea mammal sperm whale is the largest toothed whale. The body length of an adult male is about 20 m, weight - 50 tons, females are slightly smaller - 15 m and 20 tons. Due to such an impressive size, the sperm whale’s natural enemies are only killer whales that attack young animals. But since ancient times, the sperm whale has become an object of hunting for humans; spermaceti and ambergris were obtained from it. For this reason, the population began to decline rapidly, and only after the ban on hunting animals was it possible to restore it a little.
Description of sperm whale
The sperm whale is a giant whale that grows throughout its life.
The body length of a male is 18-20 m, weight reaches 40-50 tons. Females are usually half the size, 15 m long and weigh 15 tons. — Advertising —
The sperm whale is characterized by a very large and massive rectangular head. It contains a spermaceti sac, which weighs 6-11 tons. On the lower jaw there are 20-26 pairs of large teeth, each of which weighs about 1 kg. There are often no teeth in the upper jaw. The eyes are big.
After the head, the body of the sperm whale expands and becomes almost round with a gradual smooth transition into the caudal fin. There is one fin on the back that looks like a low hump. The pectoral fins are short and wide.
The sperm whale's skin is covered with wrinkles and folds, thick, with a developed fat layer (up to 50 cm). It is usually painted dark gray with a bluish tint, and occasionally brown, brown or almost black. The back is darker than the belly.
Sperm whales are capable of making three types of sounds - moaning, clicking and creaking. The voice of this mammal is one of the loudest in nature.
Feeding features of the sperm whale
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The sperm whale is a predator based on its feeding method and feeds mainly on cephalopods, as well as fish. Of the cephalopods, the whale prefers squid of various types, and to a lesser extent eats octopuses.
The sperm whale catches its food at depths of 300-400 m, and daily it needs about a ton of cephalopods. The animal sucks in the entire prey using its tongue, without chewing it, only tearing very large ones into pieces.
Interestingly, sperm whales often prey on giant cephalopods, for example, huge squids with a body length of more than 10 m and giant octopuses.
Where does it live?
Whales, being marine animals, are found in all oceans, but different species have their own preferences. Many species live in groups and migrate from cool to warm waters depending on the season. Whales used to be the object of fishing, but their numbers began to decline sharply. Since the introduction of a moratorium on fishing in 1982, commercial fishing of all whale species has been prohibited.
Despite this, whales are still hunted today. The moratorium did not affect indigenous fisheries for the indigenous populations of Alaska, Chukotka, Greenland and one of the Caribbean island states. They hunt whales in Norway, Iceland, Japan, but in their own territorial waters.
At the time of the existence of whaling fleets, Soviet whalers, seeing their prey, said: “There is fish!” Although they knew that a whale is not a fish, but a mammal.
Whales are unique creatures and interesting to watch, especially in their familiar environment. Whale Watching has become a popular activity for tourists and lovers of everything unusual. For this purpose, special tours are organized.
There are quite a few places in Russia to study whales:
- Shantar Islands, Wrangel Bay (beluga whales, gray and bowhead whales);
- Chukotka, Wrangel and Herald Islands (beluga whales, killer whales, gray and humpback whales);
- Kuril Islands (minke whales, Japanese right whales, humpback and gray whales);
- White Sea (beluga whales);
- Kamchatka (sperm whales and humpback whales);
- Commander Islands (rare beaked whales);
- Franz Josef Land (humpback and bowhead whales, narwhals, minke whales).
You can also choose distant shores for observation. Popular countries for a new type of ecotourism are Iceland, Norway, New Zealand (Kaikoura), South Africa, Spain (Bay of Biscay), Mexico, USA (California, Baja Peninsula).
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Sperm whale distribution
The sperm whale's habitat is one of the largest animals in the world. It lives throughout the entire World Ocean, excluding the coldest northern and southern regions, and prefers warmer, tropical waters. Whales live far from the coast, at depths of more than 200 m, where there are many large cephalopods - the basis of their diet. Seasonal migrations are pronounced, especially among males.
Range, habitats
You can meet sea titans in almost every ocean . They try to stay away from cold water, however, they are often observed in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean and the waters of the Bering Sea. Males can swim into the Southern Ocean. Females prefer warmer water, their geographical limit is Japan, Australia, California.
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Male and female sperm whale: main differences
Sexual dimorphism in the sperm whale is clearly manifested in the fact that females are two times smaller than males. Considering the gigantic size of the mammal, this difference is striking: the maximum body length for males is 20 m, for females - 15 m, maximum weight - 50 and 15 tons, respectively.
Sperm whale behavior
The sperm whale is a herd animal.
Only old males live alone. In general, they tend to form groups of animals of similar sizes that are comfortable hunting together. When collecting food, the sperm whale swims slowly: up to 10 km/h, its maximum speed is 37 km/h. The sperm whale spends almost all of its time searching for food; it makes many dives, after which it rests on the surface of the water. An excited sperm whale can jump out of the water completely and fall with a deafening sound, hitting the water with its tail. A sperm whale can also stand upright in the water with its head out. The sperm whale rests for several hours a day - it sleeps, hovering motionless at the surface of the water.
The average life expectancy of sperm whales has not been precisely established and, according to various sources, ranges from 40 to 80 years.
Toothed whales
Toothed whales are one of the most common species of whales on the planet. They are basically small mammals that feed exclusively on other living things; simply put, they are carnivores. These mammals are small in size, with the exception of the sperm whale, which is almost the same size as the largest blue whale . The word "sperm whale" comes from Portuguese and means "big head". The sperm whale is the only representative of its species and actually has a very large head. They have the following features:
- They live mainly in herds of 80–100 animals and are considered very collective animals.
- In and under water, sperm whales reach speeds of about 50 km/h.
- Although the sperm whale breathes with its lungs, it can dive to a depth of 3000 km, this ability is given to it by its subcutaneous fat, which saves the toothed whale from cold or high pressure. This animal dives to such depths to treat itself to its favorite delicacy - giant squid.
Sperm whale breeding
The male sperm whale reaches sexual maturity at the age of 5 years, the female at 4-5 years.
Females give birth to cubs on average once every 3 years and only until they are 40 years old. As polygamous animals, during the mating season, males create a kind of “harem”, when there are 10-15 females next to one male. At the same time, the male becomes very aggressive, and skirmishes and fights often occur between relatives. Childbirth occurs at any time of the year, most often from July to September.
The duration of pregnancy is 15-18 months. One cub is born, 3-4 m in length and weighing 1 ton. He immediately follows his mother, staying close to her. Milk feeding lasts from 5-6 to 12-13 months. The mammary glands of a female sperm whale simultaneously contain up to 45 liters of milk. After finishing milk feeding, the cub begins to teethe and moves on to an independent adult life.
Natural enemies of the sperm whale
Sperm whale calves and females are subject to attacks by killer whales, which can tear them apart or cause serious wounds.
But as for the mighty male sperm whale, none of the inhabitants of the oceans can defeat this sea giant. The natural mortality of sperm whales is associated with myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, stomach ulcers, helminthic infestations, and bone necrosis. Crustaceans and sticky fish that live on the body and teeth do not harm the sperm whale.
The biggest threat to the sperm whale is humans. Until the middle of the last century, whaling was extremely popular - in the 50s and 60s, about 30,000 animals were killed every year. This led to a significant decrease in the sperm whale population, after which the animals were taken under protection and are allowed to be caught only in strictly limited quantities.
History of origin
According to the theory, more than 70–75 million years ago, the ancestors of modern sperm whales lived on land. Their body was covered with fur, and instead of today's fins, they had ordinary limbs. Gradually, the animals moved closer to the water , where they escaped from a large number of predators and other animals. Then they finally moved into the water, where they changed in size, got rid of their fur and became similar to modern whales.
In connection with active fighter activity in the 18th–19th centuries. whales became an endangered species, and soon a moratorium on their hunting was introduced, preventing them from being caught for any purpose. However, they are still at risk from being hit by passing ships, being contaminated by oil refineries, or being washed ashore.
Interesting facts about the sperm whale:
The popularity of whaling throughout the world is explained by the fact that sperm whales were a valuable source of the following products:
- Fat and blubber rendered from it, which were used as lubricants, for example, for the first steam locomotives, and also for lighting. Only after the significant spread of petroleum products did the demand for blubber decrease. But in the 20th century, blubber began to be used as a lubricant for precision instruments and in the production of household and industrial chemicals. One sperm whale produced 12-13 tons of blubber.
- Spermaceti is a fatty waxy substance from the head of the sperm whale, a liquid that turns into a soft yellowish mass in air. Spermaceti was used in the manufacture of ointments, lipsticks, candles, as a lubricant, and in perfumes. Spermaceti has pronounced wound-healing properties.
- Ambergris is a hard gray substance similar to wax. It was used as incense and for making perfume. It can be found exclusively in the intestines of the male sperm whale. And without whaling, it can rarely be found washed ashore from the depths of the sea.
- Teeth are a valuable and expensive ornamental material, along with mammoth tusks and walrus tusks. Used to make bone products, jewelry and decorative items.
- Only people did not eat sperm whale meat because of its strong unpleasant odor. It was ground together with bones into meat and bone meal, and used as food for dogs and other animals.
- In the 20th century, hormonal preparations for medical use began to be produced from the internal organs of sperm whales (pancreas, pituitary gland).
