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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.
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 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.”
Jan 30, 2023 · 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.
Sperm whales are the largest toothed cetacean. The size of most large baleen whales, they actually have teeth on their bottom jaw, used to grasp large squid or fish, unlike other large whales that filter smaller denser prey through their baleen.
Feb 13, 2017 · Sperm whales have been a part of American culture ever since Captain Ahab set out aboard the Pequod to find the infamous white whale in "Moby Dick". Large, noisy, and often social, sperm whales are a remarkable species found from the equator to the poles.
Sperm whales have several specialized physical characteristics that aid in this predatory behavior. They have large conical teeth for ensnaring their preferred prey. Like most active predators, they have large brains and in fact, the sperm whale has the largest brain of any animal on the planet.
