Average Weight: Males - 50,000 kg; Females
- 25,000 kg
The Sperm Whale got its name from a milky
white substance found on their head when discovered. It was
orignally thought to be sperm, but this was not the case. The
Sperm Whale is a cosmopolitan species, meaning they are
found all over the world. However, the majority of their population
lives north of the equator.
Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Cetacea
- Suborder: Odontoceti
- Family: Physeteridae
- Genus: Physeter
- Species:
P. macrocephalus
Culture
The Sperm Whale was featured in
"Moby-Dick," written by Herman Melville in
1851.
