A two-mile dive
It can dive more than two kilometres down and hold its breath for over an hour, hunting squid.
The deep sea
Sperm whale
Physeter macrocephalus
A huge, dark-grey whale with a great square head a third of its length, and wrinkled skin.
- Size
- Up to 18m long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Deep water in every ocean
Swims after you with slow, heavy beats. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Sperm whale
Good to know
Six things about the sperm whale
The biggest brain
It has the largest brain of any animal that has ever lived.
The loudest clicks
Its clicks are the loudest sounds made by any animal. It uses them to find prey in the dark.
Sleeping upright
Sperm whales nap in groups, hanging straight up and down in the water.
The biggest toothed hunter
It is the largest animal with teeth, though it has them only in its narrow lower jaw.
Family groups
Females and young live in close groups, and take turns to babysit calves at the surface.
The real thing
Photos of the sperm whale
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Whale-watching boats off the Azores, Norway, Dominica and Kaikoura in New Zealand find them. Look for a low, bushy blow that leans forwards and to the left.
How to help
Sperm whales swallow plastic and are hit by ships. Less plastic in the sea, and slower ships, help them.
Keep going