Sperm whale habitat. What is the difference between a sperm whale and a whale: comparison and differences. The largest toothed whale on Earth
Sperm whale- This is one of the representatives of the cetacean order. Is one of the largest toothed whales known to science. Dimensions of the toothed whale sperm whale very impressive!
Sperm whale underwater
Males of these giants reach up to 18-20 meters in length and can weigh up to 45-50 tons, and females - up to 13 meters. Characteristic feature sperm whales is that females and males differ from each other in many ways that are not characteristic of whales. Such as:
- Dimensions;
- Number of teeth;
- Head shape.
Appearance and lifestyle of the sperm whale
Appearance This mammal may seem intimidating. Huge body, square head and blunt skull - make him some kind of monster of the ocean. By the way, a whale’s head occupies exactly 1/3 of the entire body! If you look from the side, it will resemble a rectangle.
The main structural feature of the sperm whale's head is the presence of a spermaceti sac. This sac consists of spermocetes, a waxy substance whose composition is identical to animal fat.
The sperm whale's mouth is located at the bottom of its head. On lower jaw The mammal has about 26 pairs of identical conical teeth (each tooth weighs 1 kilogram), and on the top there are only 1-3 pairs.
Toothed whale sperm whale
The sperm whale's eyes are quite large, which is not at all typical for whales. Its body is thick and almost round in cross-section; it narrows only closer to the tail. On the back of a whale there is only 1 fin, followed by usually several humps.
skin whale sperm whale wrinkled and all in folds. At first glance, you may get the impression that it is all covered with wrinkles. Their skin color varies, but is mostly dark gray, sometimes with a brown or even blue tint.
Rarely met white whales sperm whales. The size of the sperm whale is terrifying. On average, individuals grow 15 meters in size. Sperm whales usually live in pods, but occasionally you can see a solitary individual. Sometimes you can meet groups of males who lead a bachelor lifestyle.
It is interesting to know that the individuals in such groups are almost all the same size. These mammals communicate with each other using three sounds:
- Click;
- Crack;
- Moan.
But if a sperm whale is stranded, it will roar loudly, as if sensing danger. The voice of these whales, like all others, is very loud and can reach 115 decibels (louder than the sound of an airliner).
White sperm whale
Sperm whale habitat
The sperm whale spends almost its entire life at great depths. Its habitat extends to all oceans except the cold polar waters. These mammals rarely approach the shore, only if they find themselves in deep depressions. Usually found at a depth of 200 meters.
Sperm whales love to migrate. In summer they like to live closer to the poles, and in winter - to the equator. Most often they can be found in the waters South Africa, as well as Chile and Peru. Female sperm whales are found only in waters whose temperature does not drop below 15-17 degrees.
The sperm whale is considered to be quite slow compared to its relatives and migrates at a speed of about 10 km/h. The sperm whale loves to dive to great depths. Cases were recorded when he dived to a depth of about 3000 meters. Water pressure does not harm the whale at all, because its body consists almost entirely of fat.
The habitat of sperm whales is clearly divided between groups of these animals. It is rare for whales living near the Hawaiian Islands to move towards Gulf of Mexico and vice versa.
Feeding and reproduction of sperm whales
The sperm whale is a predator, like all other whales. The main diet includes large squid. Although sometimes it can also feed. Cephalopods make up almost 95% of the whales' total diet. The sperm whale's food chain is located at a depth of 500 meters, so it has practically no competitors.
The sperm whale is busy feeding almost all the time. Even during migration, this mammal does not stop eating. There were cases when the remains of ships, clothes and even stones were found in the stomachs of this giant!
The sperm whale absorbs all its food using tongue movements. It does not chew its prey, but swallows it whole. If it turns out to be very large, then the whale can tear it into several parts.
Mature individual toothed whale sperm whale is considered at the age of 5 years. Males of these mammals generally always create harems. For one male there are about 15 females. During mating, whales become extremely aggressive. Males fight with each other and cause serious injuries.
Sperm whale head
The female carries the baby from 15 to 18 months. The cub is always born alone, 3-4 meters long. The mother feeds the baby with milk for up to one year. All this time he stays close to her.
She is his perfect protection from large predators. It is also easier for the calf to follow its mother at great depths; it is as if she is cutting through the water column and the baby whale does not need to make any effort or overcome pressure.
In the future, the cub remains in the group, but feeds independently. At first it feeds on small fish, and from 2-3 years it switches to the standard diet of an adult. Sperm whales live on average 50-60 years.
At an advanced age, males often sail away from their group and wander alone. The only enemy of this whale is herds of killer whales, which often attack solitary sperm whales.
Female sperm whale with young offspring
The main differences between a whale and a sperm whale
There are a number of differences between a whale and a sperm whale:
- Body structure;
- Presence of teeth;
- Size difference between females and males;
- The sperm whale, unlike the whale, can completely swallow a person;
- Different diets;
- Movement speed;
- Diving depth.
Sperm whales and humans
Judging by the photo on the Internet and pictures in books, whale sperm whale- a ferocious beast that is terrible for humans. Actually this is not true! Even being a predator, this mammal does not consider human flesh as food. But there are situations when a person open ocean ends up near the sperm whale.
In this case, it is better for the person to quietly sail to the side. As soon as a whale begins to eat, the water column along with the fish goes into its mouth and a person can simply get there by accident.
But there have been recorded cases of sperm whales breaking and overturning small ships. This can happen during mating season, when whales are especially aggressive. A person should not be afraid of sperm whales, but it is better to stay away!
Lifestyle and nutrition
The basis (80%) of the sperm whale's diet is cephalopods: squids, including giants more than 10 m long, and octopuses. Sperm whales presumably owe the scars and sucker marks on their faces and bodies to fights with giant squids. Also, according to one hypothesis, the “beaks” of eaten squid, irritating the sperm whale’s intestines, provoke the appearance of ambergris, an odorous substance used in perfume production. In addition to cephalopods, sperm whales feed, although less frequently, on fish (rays, small sharks, pollock, cod, saury, sea bass, etc., as well as deep-sea species - macrorus and anglerfish). Adult sperm whales consume up to a ton of food per day, which is 3% of their weight.
Sperm whales make the most deep dives among mammals. In pursuit of prey, they dive to depths of up to 1.2 km. Occasionally they collect crabs, crayfish, sponges and even stones from the bottom. Since the stones are not destroyed by gastric juice, sperm whales apparently need them for mechanical grinding of food in the stomach. A feeding sperm whale is able to stay under water for up to 1.5 hours, which is facilitated by the high content of myoglobin in its muscles and the reduced sensitivity of the respiratory center to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood.
A piece of sperm whale skin covered with scars from the suckers of a giant squid
The speed of a grazing sperm whale is 5–6, swimming - 9–13, pursued or wounded - 16–30 km/h. The sperm whale's fountain is wide, inclined forward and to the left, up to 2–3 m high. When the whale prepares to dive deeply, it raises its tail blades high into the air and goes into the water almost vertically. If a sperm whale does not show its tail when diving, it means that it is diving shallowly. Excited sperm whales jump out of the water entirely, falling with a deafening splash, and loudly slap the water with their tail blades. They navigate underwater using hearing and echolocation, producing three types of sounds: short and frequent clicks, moaning squeaks and frequent crackling sounds.
Social structure and reproduction
The sperm whale is polygamous: a harem of up to 10–15 females follows the male along with sucklings. If harems unite into one herd, then several adult males are kept with it. Grown-up male cubs leave the herd somewhere between 4–21 years and form bachelor groups. With age, these groups disintegrate; Mature males usually stay solitary outside the breeding season.
Reproduction in sperm whales is extended and occurs throughout the year. The most intensive mating is observed in spring. The males' rut proceeds violently and is accompanied by fights. Bachelor groups of young males do not take part in reproduction. Mature males fiercely fight among themselves for the position of head of the harem, sometimes causing serious injuries to each other. In general, only 10–25% of adult males participate in reproduction.
Cubs (3.5–5 m long and weighing 1 ton) are born 14–16 months after conception. The female feeds the cub for up to 2 years. Sperm whales mature at 8–11 years (females). Males are around 10 years old, although they usually do not take part in breeding until they are 25–27 years old. The sperm whale apparently lives 45–50 years.
Economic importance
Until recently, the sperm whale was one of the important commercial species of whales, providing meat, fat (7–10 tons), spermaceti, and ambergris. Now there is no fishing.
Population status and conservation
There are no exact data on the number. Based on extrapolation of observational results, it is estimated with a wide range - from 200,000 to 2,000,000 individuals. Despite previous intensive harvesting, the sperm whale population is more stable than populations of other whales, likely due to the fact that sperm whales feed on deep-sea fauna that are less intensively harvested.
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See what “Sperm whales” are in other dictionaries:
- (Physeteridae), family marine mammals suborder of toothed whales; includes two genera: sperm whales proper (Physeter, one species) and dwarf sperm whales (two species). On the large head of sperm whales there is a fat pad of spermaceti (up to 6 tons), teeth... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
sperm whales- kašalotai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas gentis apibrėžtis Gentyje 1 rūšis. Paplitimo arealas – visi vandenynai, išskyrus šaltas poliarines sritis. atitikmenys: lot. Physeter English sperm whales vok. Pottwale rus. sperm whales... ... Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas
Dwarf sperm whales ... Wikipedia
Dwarf sperm whale Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordata ... Wikipedia
Same as kogi... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Same as kogi. * * * Dwarf sperm whales Dwarf sperm whales, the same as kogi (see KOGI) ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Genus Sperm Whale- 6.4.1. Genus Sperm whales Physeter Sperm whale)