In the waters of the oceans you can meet amazing animals of enormous size. One of them is a predatory whale sperm whale. Therefore, it belongs to the order of the toothed whales.
Sperm whale habitat
You can meet sea giants in almost every ocean. They try to stay away from too icy water, but still they are often observed in the northern Atlantic Ocean, in the depths of the Bering Sea. Fearless males sometimes visit the Southern Ocean. Females prefer warmer water, their territorial limit is Japan, Australia, California.
Sperm whale height and weight
Growing up, males reach a length of 20 meters, and weigh up to 70 tons. Females are inferior in size - their weight does not exceed 30 tons, and their length is 15 m.
Appearance of a sperm whale
Sperm whale looks interesting and peculiar. First of all, attention is drawn to them by a disproportionately large head, it makes up a third of the whole body. The bulkiness of the head is especially noticeable in profile. Looking at the face, the head seems to flatten and become narrower, turning into the face. The front section reaches the largest size in an adult male.
It can be mistakenly imagined that the brain also reaches large sizes. However, in reality it’s quite the opposite - the sperm whale’s brain is small, and almost the entire skull contains spongy tissue with a lot of fat.
By extracting a spongy substance, a person processes it to obtain spermaceti - a substance with a wax base. Before the development of the chemical industry, creams, ointments, and candles were made on the basis of this composition. After the cessation of sperm production, sperm whales ceased to exterminate so massively.
Nutrition - what does a sperm whale eat?
Sperm whales are carnivorous and most often prey on cephalopods (including giant squids) and various fish. The search for the victim takes place at a depth of up to 1.2 km, sometimes the sperm whale tracks down attractive prey, diving for 3 km.
As sperm whales swim, speed
Every half hour, the sperm whale rises from the depths to breathe. It can easily be distinguished from other whales - the resilient, high water fountain that is emitted during breathing is not vertical, but inclined. This jagged whale is an excellent diver and a great jumper. Above the water surface, it may appear to be full-length, and also knows how to take a vertical position in water. But the giants are in no hurry to move, their speed is on average 10 km / h.
These mammals live in large herds. Up to 15 females per male. Sometimes the herds come together, and a large group together moves and produces food. Immature males are forced to create their own group - they are not interesting for females.
Breeding
The female carries the fetus for 18 months. Only one is born. At the time of birth, its weight is about a ton, and the body length does not exceed 3 meters. The first year the mother feeds the baby with milk.During this period, a small sperm whale approximately 2 times increases in size and acquires teeth. Females give birth only once every 3 years. The reproductive age of the female is 7 years, of the male - not earlier than 10 years.
Life expectancy - how long does a sperm whale live?
The average life expectancy of sperm whales is 50-60 years, sometimes up to 70 years. The female is capable of reproduction up to 45-50 years.
Enemies - Who Eats Sperm Whales?
Sperm whales have few enemies in the water. A killer whale can attack a young individual or a lonely female, but she will not dare to attack a mature male. Not afraid of these whales and sharks. Here is a man in pursuit of profit, for hundreds of years he has significantly damaged the populations of these animals.
Currently, sperm whale hunting is banned. This did not affect the production of drugs and cosmetics. The population of majestic animals is growing extremely slowly, but the good thing is that the decline in livestock has stopped.
