A vertical sperm whale dream, and 6 more amazing facts about the lord of the depths

Sperm whales, although they are relatives of whales, they differ from them in a number of interesting features. And many moments from the life of sperm whales are still the subject of debate among zoologists and do not fit into any scientific theory. And if there are several species of whales on our planet, then the sperm whale is the only representative of the genus and even the family. So, we offer to get acquainted with these marine animals closer.

Dive record holder

Sperm whales surpass whales, dolphins and all other marine mammals in the depth of diving and the duration of their stay under water. These animals can dive to a depth of 2 kilometers, and a number of researchers even indicate a figure of 3 kilometers. Such records are not accidental at all, since the sperm whale feeds not on plankton and crustaceans, like baleen whales, but on large squids living in depth. The main diet of sperm whales is squid and octopus, although giants, on occasion, can also eat fish.

Very strange jaw

Drawings in school books and most photographs of sperm whales do not allow you to see what an incredible jaw this marine animal has. And when the sperm whale opens its mouth to catch another squid, it looks like this:

It turns out that sperm whales have teeth only on the lower jaw, and their number can be very different, from 16 and even up to 50 pieces. Sperm whales, which have several teeth on the upper jaw, are very rare. The lower jaw is narrow and long and can open so wide that it forms an angle of 90 degrees with the upper jaw.

Very bad character

If huge whiskered whales are peaceful marine animals that are not at all dangerous to people and which can be observed from boats and pleasure tourist boats, then sperm whales are not at all like that. These are quite aggressive animals that will protect themselves to the last. And even a flock of killer whales, these insidious and powerful predators, rarely dare to attack young sperm whales. For this reason, the sperm whale does not have enemies in the depths of the sea. The only one who poses a danger to them is a person. But here, not everything is so simple. Wounded sperm whales sunk more than one whaling ship, so hunting for sperm whales has always been considered a very dangerous occupation.

Junk

In the rectangular head of the sperm whale, there is one specific organ - a spermaceti sac. The only owner of this miracle organ among animals is the sperm whale. Dwarf sperm whales have something similar, but only sperm whales have a full spermaceti sac. What is it?

This organ includes a specific spongy tissue filled with spermaceti. This is a wax-like substance, the main component of which is the complex organic substance cetyl palmitate. Scientists believe that sperm whales need this body for diving and uplifting from the depths. He performs the role of ballast. It turns out that this substance, when heated to 37 ° C, passes from solid to liquid. Using this fact, the sperm whale is able to change the temperature of the spermaceti by sending large volumes of blood to the head. Blood heats the spermaceti, it turns into liquid, it becomes lighter, and the animal can rise from depth to surface. And when you need to sink to the bottom, the sperm whale regulates blood flow in such a way that the spermaceti cools, hardens and becomes heavier. Here is such an incredible diving system.

Largest brain

If we compare exclusively by the absolute mass of the brain, then the sperm whale is not equal in this indicator either. Neither elephants, nor blue whales, nor any other animals on the planet have such a heavy brain - up to 7.8 kilograms.

Ambergris - the jewel of perfumers

A unique substance is formed in the gastrointestinal tract, which all perfumers in the world hunt for. Ambergris has a complex chemical composition and is formed only in the body of males. Fresh, it has an extremely unpleasant odor, but after a while this smell disappears and ambergris becomes the product for which perfume companies are willing to pay a lot of money. The value of this substance is that it is an excellent odor fixator. During whaling, ambergris was obtained from the stomachs of sperm whales, and today it is collected on the coast, as sperm whales, in all probability, periodically spit out clumps of ambergris and throws them ashore.

Sperm whales sleep vertically

Relatively recently, scientists managed to find out that sperm whales sleep in an upright position, just freezing at a depth of about 10-15 meters. It looks just awesome:

Despite the fact that sperm whales are such large and warlike animals, they cannot afford to relax for long. 15 minutes is enough for them to cheer up and go for a new portion of squid.