rareVU · Vulnerablegreyvery-largeopen-water
- Group
- Marine mammal
- Habitat
- Open water
- Max size
- 16.0 m
- Family
- Physeteridae
The sperm whale or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale superfamily Physeteroidea, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.
Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Behaviour
Dives beyond 1,000 m for squid and stays down for most of an hour, then rests at the surface between dives. Usually seen far offshore as a low blow angled forward and to the left.