Sperm Whale

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Scientific Name:
                                    Physeter macrophalus

Size:
                   --- are the largest toothed whale
                --- Adult males grow to be about 50-60 feet  long, weighing about 40-50 tons
                ---   Females are smaller, about 33-40 feet (11-13 m) long, weighing about 14-18 tons

Food & Feeding:
                                    --- are carnivores that mostly eat giant squid that live on the ocean bottom at                                            great depths
                                    --- also eat fish , octopus, and skate
                                    --- an adult Sperm Whale can eat about a ton of food each day
                                    --- sperm whale teeth are uniform
                                    --- the teeth in the upper jaw never erupt; the teeth in the long, thin lower jaw                                            are conical and huge, about 7 inches and weigh about 2 pounds each
                                    --- the lower jaw is about 16 feet (5 m) long and has about 50-60 teeth in it

Social Groups:
                                           

                        --- the bonds between the members of sperm whale pods are strong and                                        long-lasting
                               --- the members of a pod protect the young, the sick and the injured
                               --- groups of females with their young are common
                               --- this group structure allows a mother to dive very deeply to hunt while leaving                                       her young calf, who is unable to dive very deeply, at the surface and protected                                       by the pod

World Population:
                                    --- it is estimated that there are about 200,000 sperm whales world-wide
                                    --- sperm whales are considered an endangered species (these whales, and                                             many other large whales, were over-hunted for many years, since their meat,                                              oil, and other body parts are   very valuable
                                    --- since whale hunting has decreased in the last few decades, their                                             populations are starting to recover