The Sperm Whale has many unique features. It is the largest of the toothed whales and is the largest toothed carnivore in the world. These teeth can be 10 inches long and are found only on the lower jaw, The upper jaw had holes that the teeth fit into. Its blow hole is on the front of its head, unlike all other whales. The flow hole is also found on the left side of its head and when it spouts the spray is forward at a 45 degree angle. All whale spout plumes are unique to each species so old time whalers can determine the type of whale from the shape of the spout. The sperm whale can grow up to 60 feet long and it can dive for over 2 hours. To do this it needs extra hemoglobin in its blood. It stores that extra-oxygenated blood in its muscles while diving. Since the size of its lungs are only the size of a cow's lungs, the whale needs to spend a considerable amount of time on the surface between dives. The head of the sperm whale is 1/3 the size of the entire animal, again the largest head in the world. It houses the largest brain of any creature and a huge sac of oil. There are various theories about this oil. First it may aid in echolocation and act as as sound amplifier. Second is that the oil is denser that water when it is cold and solidifies to a waxy consistency but lighter than water when it is warm and fluid. There are blood vessels around the sac that may allow the whale to send blood to this area to warm it up or shunt blood away to let it cool down. In essence it can get switched from a weight to help dive to a float to aid the ascent. Lastly it may be a shock absorber used when two males fight over a female. They may ram their heads together in a test of strength.
Separate excursions are offered for ariel viewing of the whales
The Captain may get information from the aircraft or the crew may just watch for where the plane is circling
Thar he blows!
The blow hole is visible and it is on the left side of the head
We were able to watch for about 6 minutes
He was breathing several times while we watched
The skin by the dorsal fin is quite wrinkly
We were pretty close
Another spout
The back is curling
Getting ready to dive
Up comes the fluke
Out of the water
Dripping water
The tail can exert 550 HP of power
Fully extended up
Now heading down
Down
Down
Into the depths
To catch some squid
See you mate!
Blue water fills the void where the whale once was
A whale dive calling card
