Jun 11
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Observed by martinholladay, CC BY-NC
seen from Maldives
seen from China
seen from Philippines
seen from Moldova
seen from Malaysia
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Mexico
seen from Chile
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Iraq
seen from Colombia
seen from Singapore
seen from Paraguay
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Observed by martinholladay, CC BY-NC
Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
Sperm whales have big heads-- and it's not just from ego! An adult sperm whale's head makes up a third of their body length. Much of its size comes from a set of organs located in the forehead, used for echolocation. These organs contain a substance called spermaceti, a special type of oil; the organs can collectively weigh over 13 tonnes (15 tons) and contain 3.6 tonnes (4 tons) of oil!
(Image: A shedding sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) by Mike Korostelev)
Bonus fun fact: Their scientific name literally means 'Blowhole Bighead'
My whale book arrived!!! 🐋🌊🐬💙
Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Photo by Eric Cheng
Sperm Whale or Cachalot Physeter macrocephalus
Castries, St. Lucia, 2014
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Observed by fevridix, CC BY-NC
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
With human Homo sapiens
Observed by wayneosborn, CC BY-NC
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Observed by remy_dubas, CC BY-NC