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The sperm whale or cachalot [a] (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator.It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.
Sperm whale and bottlenose whale. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest species of toothed whale, with adult bulls (males) growing to be about 15–18 m (49–59 ft) long, and weighing about 45–70 metric tons (44–69 long tons; 50–77 short tons).
Size comparison between the sperm whale (blue), the pygmy sperm whale (green), and the dwarf sperm whale (orange) The dwarf sperm whale can range in size from 2 to 2.7 m (6.6 to 8.9 ft) in length and 136 to 272 kg (300 to 600 lb) in weight—less than the 4.25 m (14 ft) and 417 kg (920 lb) pygmy sperm whale.
Articles relating to the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus, cachalot) and its closest relatives. It is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the ...
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Physeter is a genus of toothed whales.There is only one living species in this genus: the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). [2] Some extremely poorly known fossil species have also been assigned to the same genus including Physeter antiquus (5.3–2.6 mya) from the Pliocene of France, [3] and Physeter vetus (2.6 mya – 12 ka) from the Quaternary of the U.S. state of Georgia. [4]
• Newborn sperm whales are between 3.7 to 4.3 meters (12 to 14 ft) in length. [1] • Sperm whales exhibit a large amount of sexual dimorphism with their size and proportions, with males generally being much larger than females. Female sperm whales are sexually mature at 8 to 9 meters (26 to 30 ft) in length, and physically mature at about 10 ...
Pygmy sperm whales and dwarf sperm whales are unique among cetaceans in using a form of "ink" to evade predation in a manner similar to squid. Both species have a sac in the lower portion of their intestinal tracts that contains up to 12 liters of dark reddish-brown fluid, which can be ejected to confuse or discourage potential predators. [30]