Giant, harmless and friendly are three words to describe the sperm whale. In this report you will get to know how sperm whales live their lives.
Sperm Whale Facts
Sperm whales have wrinkly skin. They have a large, rather square head, about one third of their body length. Females are smaller than males and have a proportionally smaller head. They are purplish brown or a dark grey in colour and are while underneath, they also have a slit blowhole situated on the top left side of the snout.
Diet and Foraging
Sperm whales are toothed whales and dive to great depths to feed. They eat large organisms, mainly squids but males are also likely to eat demersal fish including sharks and rays. They use clicks to either locate or possibly stun their prey. Dives have been known to last over one hour and have been at depths of 1000m, most dives tend to last around 35 minutes, however they only extend down to 400m.
Population
Kaikoura is the home to the main New Zealand population of sperm whales, including both resident transient and individuals. In any one season around 85 sperm whales are present, most of which are males.
Sperm whales are widespread around the world, they prefer deeper water (about 200m). They are usually found in off shore areas or submarine canyons such as Kaikoura. Sperm whales are present all year round, they generally move towards the poles in summer, males more so then females. Females usually inhabit water deeper then 1000m at latitudes less then 40°-50°c. Males’ distribution extends to more warmer latitudes.
More Facts About Sperm Whales
The newborn length is 2.5-4.5m. The adult length is 11-18m.
I hope you enjoyed my report and that you learnt a lot.
Sperm Whale Facts
Sperm whales have wrinkly skin. They have a large, rather square head, about one third of their body length. Females are smaller than males and have a proportionally smaller head. They are purplish brown or a dark grey in colour and are while underneath, they also have a slit blowhole situated on the top left side of the snout.
Diet and Foraging
Sperm whales are toothed whales and dive to great depths to feed. They eat large organisms, mainly squids but males are also likely to eat demersal fish including sharks and rays. They use clicks to either locate or possibly stun their prey. Dives have been known to last over one hour and have been at depths of 1000m, most dives tend to last around 35 minutes, however they only extend down to 400m.
Population
Kaikoura is the home to the main New Zealand population of sperm whales, including both resident transient and individuals. In any one season around 85 sperm whales are present, most of which are males.
Sperm whales are widespread around the world, they prefer deeper water (about 200m). They are usually found in off shore areas or submarine canyons such as Kaikoura. Sperm whales are present all year round, they generally move towards the poles in summer, males more so then females. Females usually inhabit water deeper then 1000m at latitudes less then 40°-50°c. Males’ distribution extends to more warmer latitudes.
More Facts About Sperm Whales
The newborn length is 2.5-4.5m. The adult length is 11-18m.
I hope you enjoyed my report and that you learnt a lot.