Sperm Whale
(Physeter macrocephalus)

As you can see by looking at the picture, sperm whales are very distinctive looking. They have a squarish head, a blow or spout that angles forward and to the left, wrinkly grey-brown skin, and a jaw lined with conical teeth. Sperm whales are the largest of the Odontoceti, or "toothed whales", with males averaging 49-59 feet long, and females about 36-39 feet. Their teeth can be up to 8 inches long and up to 2 lbs each. They are a perfect weapon against the sperm whale's favorite prey- squid. Often these whales have round scars on them from fighting with squid. The beaks of squid are not digestible, so sperm whales coat the irritating item with a brown resinous material called ambergris, which is eventually excreted. People use this material to stabilize and intensify perfumes, and possibly as an antispasmatic drug. Another interesting material in sperm whales is spermaceti (literally "whale semen"), for which they are named. It is actually a clear fluid in their heads which when cooled looks like, well, semen. They use it to control buoyancy and possibly to direct sounds. Although not the most musical of whales, sperm whales use their clicks and creaks (called "codas") to echolocate prey, stun prey, and for communication. Listen for yourself!Sperm whales are extremely deep divers, diving to depths of 3000 feet or more (some have gone to 7000!), and staying underwater for up to 2 hours, although the average dive is about 45 minutes. A rule of thumb from whalers applies well: For every foot of whale, it will breathe once at the surface and spend 1 minute underwater on it's next dive. So, if I were a sperm whale, I could breathe in 6 times and stay under for 6 minutes!