Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Cetartiodactyla
- Family
- Physeteridae
- Genus
- Physeter
- Species
- Physeter macrocephalus
The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed whale, with males reaching about 16 m. Its enormous, square head makes up around a third of its body length, its wrinkled skin is dark grey to brown, and its single blowhole produces a distinctive bushy blow angled forward and to the left.
Sperm whales are champion divers, regularly descending more than 1,000 m to hunt deep-sea squid using powerful echolocation clicks. Females and young live in stable social units, while adult males roam more widely.
In the Philippines sperm whales are recorded in deep waters such as the Bohol Sea, Sulu Sea and off eastern Mindanao. They are most often seen on whale-watching trips, logging at the surface between long dives.
Photo: Daniel Benák, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist