Sperm Whaleš

Physeter macrocephalus

Photograph by Leonard Medlock. Notice the blow hole is on the left side of the head.

Where To See Sperm Whales
Sperm Whales can be found in all oceans. They frequent the continental shelf edges and shelves around islands. You will probably not see a Sperm Whale on Stellwagen Bank. Look for it on one of the longer trips to the Continental Shelf Edge.

The author has seen Sperm Whales several times on pelagic trips from Massachusetts. One time the whale was right next to the boat and we could see the wrinkled skin behind the head. The other times including the August 23, 2008 BBC Extreme Pelagic when the whales were spotted in relatively shallow water near Nantucket Shoals we could only see the blow and the back of the whale as it lolled on the surface.

In October of 1991 three Sperm Whales were spotted from a Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch off Race Point on Cape Cod in about 200' of water. This sighting was so rare it was reported in the Cape Cod Times. Recently a reader wrote to me about that sighting and included the following picture.

Photo by

Frank Omilian,

Westland Michigan in October 1991.

Toothed Whale
The Sperm Whale mouth is on the underside of the head and is small compared to that of the baleen whales like the Humpback Whale. Sperm Whales have teeth only in the lower jaw. Teeth may be from 3" to 7-8" tall. The best place to see sperm whale teeth is in a whaling museum where carved specimens are called scrimshaw. President John F. Kennedy owned a piece of scrimshaw given to him by his wife. Possession of any part of a whale or other endangered mammal is now strictly regulated by federal law.

Feeding
Sperm Whales forage on the ocean bottom for squid even the giant squid. They also eat octopus and rays.

Identification at Sea
The peculiar shape of the Sperm Whale is most often depicted in cartoons and drawings as a typical whale. It is far from typical.

If you could get a diver's eye view of a Sperm Whale you have no trouble identifying the large square head of the Sperm Whale. For a good underwater drawing of a sperm whale see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_whale

At sea you will most probably be looking down at the top of the whale from a boat and the first identification clue will be the shape and direction of the blow. The bushy blow is low compared to Fin and Blue Whales gigantic fountains. The blow hole is centered on the head of all other whales and dolphins. On the Sperm Whale is on the very front of the head and on the left side.

The Sperm Whale has a single "S" shaped blow hole on the left side of the head. This can clearly be seen in this photo by Leonard Medlock taken on the August 2008 Continental Shelf Edge pelagic.

The blow hole is on the forward part the head making it possible for the Sperm Whale to log on the surface with its body vertical. The whales are thought to sleep in the position when resting from very deep dives.

The blow never appears to be "U" shaped. Even the blows of Baleen Whales with double blow holes do not always appear double. See Behaviors of Whales and Dolphins for pictures of typical whale blows.

This Sperm Whale has just turned toward the boat and you are seeing the single blow hole which is on the left side of the very front of the huge squarish head. Photo by David Jones.

www.pbase.com/clamflats

There really is no dorsal fin but rather a series of thick and rounded (not sharply pointed) humps on the back 1/3 of the body. Note the wrinkled skin in front of the large hump.

Photograph showing the large hump followed by a series of small humps on the ridge of the back. Scott Spangenberg photo.

The flippers of the Sperm Whale are short and have rounded tips. They are never long like those of a Humpback Whale. The skin behind the head is wrinkled rather than smooth in other whales.

Flukes are all dark on the underside. Raises tail flukes on deep dives. Flukes have a straight trailing edge broken only by a notch in the center. (Need photo)

In this photo of the Sperm Whale the blow hole is on the left side and hidden. What you are seeing is the large square head that makes up 1/3 of the body length, the wrinkled skin behind the head and the first and largest of a series of humps on the final 1/3 of the body.

This is a remarkable photo by David Jones. www.pbase.com/clamflats

Social Behavior
Sperm Whales form groups of 10-15 animals although in all my years of whale watching I have never seen more than two at a time. Females for groups with juveniles of both sexes, but the males leave the group when they reach puberty.

Young males travel in small groups.

Another fine photo by David Jones. www.pbase.com/clamflats

Logging
Some times Sperm Whales lie still at the surface of the water with the tail hanging down for up to 10 minutes. This is called logging. Sperm Whales are know to log on the surface and may be approached at this time.

Females sometimes protect the young by placing them in the center of a circle of adults with heads toward the center of the circle and tails outside. This is called the Marguerite Formation and made life easy for whalers.

Sperm whales are deep divers and can hold their breath for up to an hour. Flukes are lifted high just before the whale begins a deep or terminal dive.

š Guide to Marine Mammals of the World; Randall R. Reeves et al ; Alfred A. Knopf; New York 2002