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The sperm whale or cachalot (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.
Livyatan is an extinct genus of macroraptorial sperm whale containing one known species: L. melvillei. The genus name was inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan, and the species name by Herman Melville, the author of the famous novel Moby-Dick about a white bull sperm whale.
Jun 24, 2024 · Sperm whale, the largest of the toothed whales, easily recognized by its enormous square head and narrow lower jaw. It is dark blue-gray or brownish, with white patches on the belly. It is thickset and has small paddlelike flippers and a series of rounded humps on its back.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 14, 2022 · We estimate a global population of 736,053 sperm whales at a density of 2.40 whales/km 2 (CV = 0.218) in 1993.
Jan 30, 2023 · Sperm whales. Credit: NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and have one of the widest global distributions of any marine mammal species. They are found in all deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the pack ice in the Arctic and Antarctic.
The sperm whale has the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on Earth. Learn more about the animal made famous in Herman Melville's “Moby Dick.”