Phylum and Class:
Sperm Whales are in the phylum chordates and class mammals. This is the same as seals and humans.
Physical Description:
Sperm Whales have two front flippers and they have a dorsal fin with a barrel like body. Sperm whales have a long but skinny lower jaw they have low pitched moaning sounds. Sperm whales are white and grey colour. Sperm whales have horizontal tails and their skin is made out of blubber.
Diet:
Sperm whales like to eat cephalopods. The cephalopods they like the most are squids, mostly giant squids. Their main diet is medium sized squids.
Habitat:
Sperm whales live in temperate waters. The adult males live in higher latitudes. Sperm whales inhabit the Mediterranean Sea but not the Black Sea and probably not the Red Sea.
Adaptations:
Sperm whales have a very big brain (it’s five times heavier than ours) but it’s very small for a sperm whale. Their eyes are big and they can retract and protrude its eyes because of a 2-cm thick retractor muscle around the eye.
Reproduction:
Sperm whales can live up to 70 years or more. Females become fertile at nine years of age (that means the can have babies when there nine). The oldest female to have a baby that we know is 41 years old, so there fertilisation lasts for a long time. Babies stay in there mum’s tummy for 14 to 16 months.
Sperm Whales are in the phylum chordates and class mammals. This is the same as seals and humans.
Physical Description:
Sperm Whales have two front flippers and they have a dorsal fin with a barrel like body. Sperm whales have a long but skinny lower jaw they have low pitched moaning sounds. Sperm whales are white and grey colour. Sperm whales have horizontal tails and their skin is made out of blubber.
Diet:
Sperm whales like to eat cephalopods. The cephalopods they like the most are squids, mostly giant squids. Their main diet is medium sized squids.
Habitat:
Sperm whales live in temperate waters. The adult males live in higher latitudes. Sperm whales inhabit the Mediterranean Sea but not the Black Sea and probably not the Red Sea.
Adaptations:
Sperm whales have a very big brain (it’s five times heavier than ours) but it’s very small for a sperm whale. Their eyes are big and they can retract and protrude its eyes because of a 2-cm thick retractor muscle around the eye.
Reproduction:
Sperm whales can live up to 70 years or more. Females become fertile at nine years of age (that means the can have babies when there nine). The oldest female to have a baby that we know is 41 years old, so there fertilisation lasts for a long time. Babies stay in there mum’s tummy for 14 to 16 months.