sperm whale
Largest toothed predator
A sperm whale is the largest toothed whale, named for the waxy substance (spermaceti) found in its massive head, which was once mistaken for semen.
These deep-diving predators hunt giant squid and can hold their breath for over an hour.
The species inspired Melville's *Moby-Dick*: The captain had lost his leg to a sperm whale.
Barbed spear for whales
- blubberMarine mammal fat
- spermacetiWhale-derived waxy substance
- ambergrisWhale-produced perfume fixative
- oil lampWick-burning fuel vessel
flensing · Nantucket · New Bedford · hunt · slaughter · industry · perfume · candles
Whale's breathing aperture
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- blubberMarine mammal fat
- spermacetiWhale-derived waxy substance
- melonSweet-fleshed gourd fruit
junk · teeth · flukes · wrinkled skin · lower jaw · flippers · nasal passages · brain
Epic whaling novel
- leviathanEnormous creature or entity
- sea monsterMythic ocean beast
- PequodFictional whaling ship
- IshmaelCast-out firstborn son
Ahab · Melville · Queequeg · Starbuck · Nantucket · harpoon · obsession · vengeance
Warm-blooded, milk-producing animal
- podSeed case or cetacean group
- calfJuvenile cow or leg part
- bullSteer before castration
- cowFemale bovine
dolphin · orca · porpoise · beluga · narwhal · breaching · social structure · matrilineal
Descending to extreme depths
- apneaTemporary cessation of respiration
- pressureForce upon contact
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- submersionBeing entirely underwater
breath-hold · decompression · mesopelagic · myoglobin · buoyancy · deep-sea · abyss · midnight zone
Extremely large and heavy
Brief sharp sounds
- biosonarSound-based animal navigation
- acousticRelating to sound
- pulsesRhythmic throbs or edible legumes
- sound wavesPressure disturbances carrying noise
frequency · echoes · foraging · communication · codas · hydrophone · auditory · navigation
Largest known invertebrate
- colossal squidMassive deep-dwelling cephalopod
- preyAnimal being hunted
- tentaclesFlexible grasping appendages
- deep-sea fishMarine life from ocean depths
octopus · cephalopods · battle scars · predator · feeding · foraging · ambush
At risk of extinction
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- protectedKept from harm
- moratoriumTemporary prohibition or delay
- marine sanctuaryProtected ocean habitat area
bycatch · noise pollution · ocean acidification · climate change · habitat loss · ecotourism
harpoon
Barbed spear for whales
- blubberMarine mammal fat
- spermacetiWhale-derived waxy substance
- ambergrisWhale-produced perfume fixative
oil lamp · flensing · Nantucket · New Bedford · hunt · slaughter · industry · perfume · candles · lubricant
blowhole
Whale's breathing aperture
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- blubberMarine mammal fat
- spermacetiWhale-derived waxy substance
melon · junk · teeth · flukes · wrinkled skin · lower jaw · flippers · nasal passages · brain · pectoral fins
Moby-Dick
Epic whaling novel
- leviathanEnormous creature or entity
- sea monsterMythic ocean beast
- PequodFictional whaling ship
Ahab · Melville · Ishmael · Queequeg · Starbuck · Nantucket · harpoon · obsession · vengeance · classic literature
mammal
Warm-blooded, milk-producing animal
cow · dolphin · orca · porpoise · beluga · narwhal · breaching · social structure · matrilineal
deep-diving
Descending to extreme depths
submersion · breath-hold · decompression · mesopelagic · myoglobin · buoyancy · deep-sea · abyss · midnight zone · seafloor
massive
Extremely large and heavy
clicks
Brief sharp sounds
- biosonarSound-based animal navigation
- acousticRelating to sound
- pulsesRhythmic throbs or edible legumes
sound waves · frequency · echoes · foraging · communication · codas · hydrophone · auditory · navigation · vocalization
giant squid
Largest known invertebrate
- colossal squidMassive deep-dwelling cephalopod
- preyAnimal being hunted
- tentaclesFlexible grasping appendages
deep-sea fish · octopus · cephalopods · battle scars · predator · feeding · foraging · ambush
endangered
At risk of extinction
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- protectedKept from harm
- moratoriumTemporary prohibition or delay
marine sanctuary · bycatch · noise pollution · ocean acidification · climate change · habitat loss · ecotourism
- whaleshumpback, orca, bowhead, narwhal, beluga
- open oceanopen ocean, twilight zone, midnight zone, surface water, water column
- sperm whalescachalot
- marine lifeshark, sea turtles, manatees, dolphins, moray eel
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- sea lifeshark, dolphin, salmon, jellyfish, plaice
sperm whaleblue whale
Largest mammal on Earth
humpback whale · right whale · gray whale · baleen whale · fin whale
sperm whalegray whale
Mottled Pacific baleen cetacean
humpback whale · bottlenose dolphin · right whale · manatee · dugong
whale, sperm, whaling, whaler, whalebone, whaleboat, sperm whales