Next Project
I will be travelling to the Azores end of June next summer with my Canadian whale-watching
buddy Jon Church. We are hoping to meet the most fascinating member of the animal kingdom:
The Sperm Whale !!!
>>Where are the Azores (Faial and Pico Island)?
>>Fact sheet
Jucki Wildlife Photography by Peter Jucker copyright © 2013 - All Rights Reserved
Sperm Whale “Tryphon” Gulf of St. Lawrence 2002 © Peter Jucker
I am looking forward to that trip!
The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed whale, with adult males
measuring up to 20 m long and weighing up to 55 tons, living up to 70 years.
The species feeds primarily on giant and colossal squid. Some sperm whales have scars on
their bodies caused by tentacles during fights. Sperm whales are thought to dive deeper than
any other mammal in the world and the sperm whale is the champion 'free-diver' of the whale
world. Typically they make dives of up to 400 m, but they can reach 2’000-3’000 m. They are
thought to be able to hold their breath for up to two hours. The sperm whale has adapted to
cope with drastic pressure changes when diving. The spermaceti organ may also play a role
by adjusting buoyancy.
During the days of commercial whaling, sperm whales were so named because when the
enormous head was cut open it was found to contain a milky white substance up (to 4 t),
spermaceti organ, and the whalers thought the large square head was a huge reservoir for sperm.
From the early 18th century through the late 20th the species was a prime target of whalers.
In addition to its oil (used in lighting) and ambergris (key in perfumery), the animal's valuable
spermaceti was transformed into candles, soap, cosmetics and machine oil. Occasionally the
sperm whale's great size allowed it to defend itself effectively against whalers. In the most
famous example, a sperm whale attacked and sank the American whale ship Essex in 1820.
The only natural predator of the sperm whale is the orca and even then most attacks are not
thought to be fatal. During such attacks however, the females show defensive behaviour of
calves by creating a ring with the calves in the centre – called a 'marguerite formation'.
These rings may have their heads or tails on the outside.
The sperm whale is cosmopolitan, living across the oceans in groups called social units.
Units of females and their young live separately from sexually mature males. The females
cooperate to protect and nurse their young. Females give birth every three to six years, and
care for the calves for more than a decade.
