Sperm whales use clicking noises for echolocation, but they also make a variety of other sounds including "groans, whistles, chirps, pings, squeaks, yelps, and wheezes" (Ellis 1980). Older males are usually solitary except during the breeding season. Groups are often made up of either bachelor bulls (sexually inactive males) or "nursery schools" of mature females and juveniles of both sexes. Loose family groups of about 30 individuals, however, are more common. Giant sperm whales are highly gregarious and group themselves roughly by age and sex in group sizes of 100 or more individuals. Giant sperm whales typically swim at speeds no faster than 10 km per hour, but when disturbed they can attain speeds of 30 km per hour. They produce a visible spout made by the condensation of the moisture combined with a mucous foam from the sinuses. When they surface, sperm whales typically blow 20-70 times before redescending. Giant sperm whales are very deep divers and may stay submerged from 20 minutes to over an hour. Status: wild 77.0 years Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male).Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 10 years.Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 8 to 11 years.Breeding season The peak of the mating season is in the spring in both Northern and Southern hemispheres.Breeding interval The reproductive cycle occurs in females every 2-5 years.
SPERM WHALE SERIES
The dorsal fin is replaced by a hump and by a series of longitudinal ridges on the posterior part of the back, and the pectoral fins are quite small, approximately 200 cm. The gullet of Physeter catodon is the largest among cetaceans it is in fact the only gullet large enough to swallow a human. The lower teeth fit into sockets in the upper jaw. There are 18-28 functional teeth on each side of the lower jaws, but the upper teeth are few, weak and nonfunctional.
The blowhole slit is S-shaped and positioned on the left side of the head. The giant sperm whale has the largest of mammalian brains in terms of sheer mass (approximately 9 kg). It may serve to focus and reflect sound or may be a cooling organ to diminish the whale's volume and its buoyancy during prolonged dives. The head contains a spermaceti organ whose function is not entirely known. The enormous (up to 1/3 of total body length), box-like head of Physeter catodon sets it apart from all other species. Newborn calves measure about 4 m and are about 1/25 the weight of females. Males may reach 19 m while females are only 12 meters. Females only weigh about 1/3 as much as males. Because they are so well-adapted for deep water swimming, they are in real danger of stranding when they move inshore.Ībove weights are given for mature male giant sperm whales. Their distributions are depend upon season and sexual/social status, however they are most likely to be found in waters inhabited by squid- at least 1,000 m deep and with cold-water upswellings.
Sperm whales swim through deep waters to depths of 2 miles, apparently limited in depth only by the time it takes to swim down and back to the surface. They have also be seen occasionally near coastlines in the Gulf of Mexico, where they were once quite common. Sperm whales roam the deep waters of all the oceans, though they seldom approach polar ice fields and are most common in temperate and tropical latitudes.
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