Sperm Whales would have to be some of the most mysterious and least understood whale species; because of the fact that they can dive to depths of more than 2,000 m, they often ‘slip under the radar screen’ and movements can not be properly traced and understood by scientists. The gentle marine animal is the largest of all toothed whales and largest living toothed animal overall. The whale got its name from a milky-white waxy substance found in its head, which was mistaken for sperm when it was hunted initially.
Sperm whales are at home in just about all the oceans of the world and it
feeds on squid and fish. It can dive to incredible depths in order to obtain its prey, making it by far the deepest diving mammal in the world. Pods of females and young live separately from older males who are not positively known for their social abilities.
Sperm whales can live up to 50 years and possibly even more. The whale's gigantic head and its distinctive body shape, as well as its dominant role in the famous book “
Moby Dick” by Herman Melville have contributed to its archetypal status amongst marine mammals.