Page 173 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

BRAINY

COLOSSUS

SPERM WHALE

The sperm whale is the world’s largest predator. Its
jaw is longer than a car and each tooth is bigger than
an ice cream cone. Sperm whales dive very deep in the
ocean to prey on giant squid. Like all hunters, a sperm
whale needs to be clever to catch its prey. Not even the
blue whale—the biggest animal of all—has a larger brain.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 36–66 ft (11–20 m) long; • LOCATION Worldwide, in deep
mature males can be twice as ocean waters, except those
long as females covered by ice
• HABITAT Open sea • DIET Mainly squid (including giant
and colossal squid), but sometimes
deep-sea octopuses and fish

7 0 STATS AND FACTS
MAXIMUM WEIGHT
YEARS tons 20 40 60

LIFESPAN tonnes 25 50 75
63 tons (57 tonnes)

Few air-breathing AVERAGE BRAIN WEIGHT 17 lb/7.8 kg
animals can hold (whale brain)
their breath for as long lb 5 10 15 20
as a sperm whale.
By diving deeper and kg 2.5 5 7.5 10
longer, sperm whales 3 lb/1.4 kg
can find more prey. (human brain)
A HEAD FOR SOUND DIVING DEPTH 7,380 ft/
2,250 m (max.)
The massive head of a sperm ft 3,000 6,000 9,000
whale is packed with waxy oil, MAX. DIVE DURATION
1,000
which carries sound really well. m 1,300 ft/400 m 2,000 3,000
This helps the sperm whale 9 0 (usual)
make clicking noises, which it
uses for communication as well MIN
as for locating prey.
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