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Livyatan is an extinct genus of macroraptorial sperm whale containing one known species: L. melvillei.The genus name was inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan, and the species name by Herman Melville, the author of the famous novel Moby-Dick about a white bull sperm whale.
Livyatan probably targeted medium-sized whales ranging in size from 7–10 m (23–33 ft). Macroraptorials probably competed with the extinct giant shark megalodon for the same food sources. [7] [10] [11] [12] In sperm whales, the supracranial basin holds the spermaceti organ, a series of oil and wax reservoirs which aids in echolocation.
The sperm whale's unique body is unlikely to be confused with any other species. The sperm whale's distinctive shape comes from its very large, block-shaped head, which can be one-quarter to one-third of the animal's length. The S-shaped blowhole is located very close to the front of the head and shifted to the whale's left. [36]
• Physical maturity for female sperm whales is around 10.6 to 11 meters (35 to 36 ft) on average, whilst for male sperm whales, it is around 15 to 16 meters (49 to 52 ft) in length. Above-average females have been recorded up around 12 to 13 meters (39 to 43 ft), and the maximum size usually stated for males is males around 18 to 19 meters ...
The lumbar vertebrae were elongated and may have supported large multifidus and longissimus muscles in the back, likely larger than the modern sperm whale, and so it probably swam faster than the modern sperm whale; [1] the modern sperm whale typically travels horizontally at 4 kilometers per hour (2.5 mph), comparable to other large open-ocean ...
• 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 ...
Livyatan had a short and wide rostrum measuring 10 feet (3.0 m) across, which gave the whale the ability to inflict major damage on large struggling prey, such as other early whales. Species like these are collectively known as killer sperm whales or macroraptorial sperm whales. [58] [59] Beaked whales consist of over 20 genera. [60] [61 ...
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). The two kogiid species are much smaller, around 2.5 to 3.5 m (8 ft 2 in to 11 ft 6 in) in length, and weighing ...