Sperm Whale

IUCN

Scientific Name：Physeter macrocephalus

Basic Information

Scientific classification

name：Sperm Whale
Scientific Name：Physeter macrocephalus
Outline：Giant Fish
Family：Physeteridae Physeter

Vital signs

length：F: 8.5–12 m; M: 13–18 m (up to ~20 m)
Weight：F ~15 t; M ~30–50 t
lifetime：~60–70 years

Feature

Largest toothed whale; deep‑diving squid hunter; matrilineal units; male high‑latitude wanderers; left‑angled blow.

Distribution and Habitat

Deep oceans and continental slopes/canyons worldwide; upwellings and seamounts favoured.

Appearance

Huge square head; tiny dorsal hump with crenulations; dark grey‑brown with sucker scars; narrow tooth‑bearing lower jaw.

Details

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest living toothed whale and one of the ocean’s apex predators, in the family Physeteridae. Its massive square head—over one‑third of body length—houses the spermaceti organ, key to biosonar and likely thermo/ buoyancy regulation. A champion deep diver, it routinely descends to 800–1200 m (max >2000 m) for 45–60+ minutes to hunt squid. IUCN: Vulnerable (VU).

Ecology & Behaviour

Diet dominated by cephalopods with fishes taken opportunistically. Females and juveniles live in matrilineal units with cooperative care; adult males are more solitary or in bachelor groups and shift to higher latitudes with age. Acoustic communication includes stereotyped “codas” that form vocal dialects among clans.

Identification

Robust body; tiny dorsal “hump” followed by crenulations; dark grey‑brown with scars and circular sucker marks. Narrow lower jaw with functional conical teeth (upper jaw teeth rarely erupt). Left‑skewed blowhole produces a low blow angled 15–20° forward‑left.

Range & Habitat

Worldwide over deep ocean basins and along continental slopes/canyons; productive waters near upwellings and seamounts are favoured. Adult males more common at high latitudes; nursery groups concentrate in tropical–subtropical belts.

Threats & Conservation

Historical commercial whaling with lasting demographic effects.
Entanglement & ship strikes in longlines, gillnets and busy shipping corridors.
Anthropogenic noise (shipping, seismic surveys, sonar) disrupting foraging and movement.
Pollutants & debris ingestion (POPs, metals, plastics); ambergris occasionally formed in the gut.
Climate‑driven prey shifts in deep‑pelagic cephalopods.

Priorities: gear modifications and ropeless trials, vessel speed/route management, noise‑mitigation planning, dynamic protection of key habitats, and coordinated stranding‑response and long‑term acoustic monitoring.