The largest of all toothed whales, the sperm whale can dive longer, faster and deeper than any other mammal. Sperm whales regularly descend to depths of 3,000 feet to find squid, their favorite prey. The average whale dives several times a day, consuming 2,000 pounds of food.
Pearly Frights: A whale's lower teeth can measure 8 inches long and weigh 2 pounds each. Many believe the whale attracts prey with the bright white of its menacing smile.
Heads Up! The whale's huge head can make up a third of its total body length. Its head houses the wax-filled spermaceti organ. Cooling or heating the wax enables the whale to dive or surface more easily.
Nature's Submarine[]
A sperm whale can ascend 460 feet per minute. It spends only 10 percent of its life at the surface.
Diving deep into the abyss to hunt for giant squid, the sperm whale can hold its breath for well over an hour. Working in total darkness, the whale relies on echolocation, a basic form of sonar, to locate its meals. Finding its prey is only half the battle. Giant squids are feisty opponents and have been known to leave sucker-shaped scars from their strong tentacles on the much larger whales.
What's That Smell? Sperm whales vomit up ambergris, a grey cheese-like substance that aids in digesting the sharp beaks of giant squid. Hardened ambergris has such a pleasant aroma that cosmetic companies use it in perfumes!
Flower Power: Whales will surround an injured mate in a formation called the "marguerite flower" to protect it. This practice had the unfortunate side effect of allowing whale hunters to pick healthy whales off one by one.
Monster or Myth?[]
Moby Dick, the vengeful sperm whale made famous by Herman Melville's 1851 novel, is more than just fiction. For centuries, whalers have told tales of furious whales that fought with hunters. The most famous incident involved a sperm whale that rammed and sank the whaling boat Essex in 1820. Moby Dick was inspired by an actual white whale that was captured near Mocha, off the coast of Chile, in 1839.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The sperm whale is mentioned and seen on several other cards:
- It is of course mentioned on the Moby Dick card, as the inspiration for the fictional whale.
- The Nooka god Quawteaht, in disguise as a sperm whale, is shown being picked up by a Thunderbird on the back of it's knowledge card.
- Alongside the giant squid mentioned above, the sperm whale is also mentioned targeting the Colossal Squid and Jumbo Squid on their knowledge cards. It’s also mentioned as a predator of the Megamouth Shark.
- The sperm whale is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Odd Creature Out on Monster Mania 28.
- It is later featured in It's All Relative! on Monster Mania 41.
- It's trading card is featured in the explanation for Battle of the Monsters Trading Card Game 6 on Monster Mania 54.