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title: "What the sources say about the Sperm Whale | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "54 claims from the Sperm Whale profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Sperm Whale (*Physeter macrocephalus*)

> 54 claims from the Sperm Whale profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Sperm Whale](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/sperm-whale/)

## Sperm Whale. NOAA Fisheries.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sperm-whale

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Hunts on dives that routinely reach 610 meters | Sperm whales hunt for food during deep dives that routinely reach depths of 2,000 feet (note: 610 m from 2,000 feet (609.6 m). A routine depth, worded as one, not a maximum.) |
| All of the world's deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the polar pack ice | They are found in all deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the pack ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. |
| plus sharks, skates, and other deep-sea fish | their diet consists of species such as squid, sharks, skates, and fish that also occupy deep ocean waters |
| an oil sac of spermaceti that helps focus the sound | The spermaceti is an oil sac that helps the whales focus sound. |
| sperm whales hunt on deep dives that routinely reach 2,000 feet (610 meters) and can last 45 minutes | Sperm whales hunt for food during deep dives that routinely reach depths of 2,000 feet and can last for 45 minutes. (note: 610 m from 2,000 feet.) |
| the whale comes up to breathe and recover at the surface for several minutes before diving again | After long, deep dives, individuals come to the surface to breathe and recover for several minutes before initiating their next dive. |
| NOAA Fisheries describes the spermaceti as an oil sac that helps the whale focus sound | The spermaceti is an oil sac that helps the whales focus sound. |
| People once used spermaceti in oil lamps, lubricants and candles | Spermaceti was used in oil lamps, lubricants, and candles. |
| is the largest of the toothed whales | Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales |
| it lives in deep oceans worldwide, from the equator to the edge of the polar pack ice | They are found in all deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the pack ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. |
| Adults weigh from 15 tons (females) to 45 tons (males) | 15 tons (females) to 45 tons (males) (note: NOAA quick facts. US tons, left unconverted.) |
| males grow to about 52 feet (16 meters) | Males reach physical maturity around 50 years and when they are approximately 52 feet long. (note: 52 ft = 15.8 m. NOAA's female figures disagree with each other (40 feet in quick facts, 'up to 35 feet' in the text), so the page gives no female length.) |
| a sperm whale can live up to 60 years | Up to 60 years |
| It hunts on deep dives that routinely reach 2,000 feet (610 meters) and can last 45 minutes | Sperm whales hunt for food during deep dives that routinely reach depths of 2,000 feet and can last for 45 minutes. (note: 610 m from 2,000 feet.) |
| then comes up to breathe and recover for several minutes before the next one | After long, deep dives, individuals come to the surface to breathe and recover for several minutes before initiating their next dive. |
| sharks, skates and other deep-sea fish are on the menu too | their diet consists of species such as squid, sharks, skates, and fish that also occupy deep ocean waters |
| the spermaceti, an oil sac in the head, helps focus the sound | found in their heads. The spermaceti is an oil sac that helps the whales focus sound. |
| Commercial whaling from 1800 to the 1980s greatly reduced their numbers worldwide. | Commercial whaling from 1800 to the 1980s greatly decreased sperm whale populations worldwide. |
| The species is still recovering, and its numbers are likely increasing. | The species is still recovering, and its numbers are likely increasing. |
| Biggest of the Toothed Whales | Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales (note: section heading) |

## Møhl et al. (2003). The monopulsed nature of sperm whale clicks. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1586258

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| fires biosonar clicks up to 236 decibels underwater | source levels up to 236 dB re: 1 microPa (rms) ... Such clicks meet the requirements for long-range biosonar purposes. (note: dB re 1 microPa is the underwater reference level, so 'underwater' is kept: the figure is not comparable to decibels in air.) |
| fires echolocation clicks up to 236 decibels underwater | source levels up to 236 dB re: 1 microPa (rms) (note: Underwater reference level (re 1 microPa), so 'underwater' stays: the figure is not comparable to decibels in air.) |
| the loudest sounds known from any animal | The sound levels measured make sperm whale clicks by far the loudest of sounds recorded from any biological source. (note: 'known' for 'recorded'. The newer Fais et al. (2016) restates the record: 'the highest instantaneous sound levels from any known biological sound source' and 'Sperm whales produce the most powerful biological sounds in the animal kingdom'.) |
| Sperm whale clicks are the loudest sounds recorded from any animal. | The sound levels measured make sperm whale clicks by far the loudest of sounds recorded from any biological source. |
| A study off Norway measured clicks judged to be aimed head-on at up to 236 decibels underwater | A limited number of assumed on-axis clicks were recorded ... with source levels up to 236 dB re: 1 microPa (rms) ... Data were obtained with a large-aperture, GPS-synchronized array in July 2000 in the Bleik Canyon off Vesterålen, Norway (note: 'judged to be aimed head-on' keeps the paper's 'assumed on-axis'.) |
| and concluded they suit long-range biosonar | Such clicks meet the requirements for long-range biosonar purposes. |
| In recordings off Norway, clicks judged to be aimed straight at the recording array reached up to 236 decibels underwater | A limited number of assumed on-axis clicks were recorded ... with source levels up to 236 dB re: 1 microPa (rms) ... Data were obtained with a large-aperture, GPS-synchronized array in July 2000 in the Bleik Canyon off Vesterålen, Norway (note: 'judged to be aimed straight at' keeps 'assumed on-axis'; re 1 microPa is the underwater reference.) |
| by far the loudest sounds recorded from any biological source | The sound levels measured make sperm whale clicks by far the loudest of sounds recorded from any biological source. |

## Fais et al. (2016). Sperm whale predator-prey interactions involve chasing and buzzing, but no acoustic stunning. Scientific Reports.

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28562

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| occasionally swallows giant and colossal squid | Occasionally, much larger squid such as jumbo, giant and colossal squid ... have been found in sperm whale stomachs (note: Stomach contents show the squid were swallowed, not how they were caught, so the tagline no longer calls the whale a 'hunter' of them.) |
| Mostly medium-sized squid, with occasional jumbo, giant, and colossal squid | The main food source for sperm whales are medium sized squid (0.5 m and 1–3 kg) ... Occasionally, much larger squid such as jumbo, giant and colossal squid |
| A gigantic nose that fires echolocation clicks | The sperm whale carries a hypertrophied nose that generates powerful clicks for long-range echolocation. ... the gigantic nose of sperm whales |
| A 2016 study that tagged six whales found no sign that the clicks stun prey | Here we use high resolution sound and movement recording tags on free-ranging sperm whales to quantify their behaviour during prey captures. ... We also show that sperm whales do not debilitate prey acoustically ... the 6 tagged sperm whales (note: Published 2016 (Scientific Reports); six = the 6 tagged whales, three off the US East coast and three off northern Norway.) |
| in the final stage of an attack, the whales turned their clicks down by 20 to 40 decibels | The tagged sperm whales reduced their ICIs by more than an order of magnitude when switching from usual to buzz clicking ( Fig. 4A,B ). Simultaneously they reduced the output level of their clicks by 20–40 dB (note: The buzz is the terminal phase of prey capture ('in the terminal buzz phase', abstract).) |
| leaving the sound at the prey far below the level needed to stun it | Instead they dramatically reduce source levels when they are within a body length of their prey resulting in exposure levels that are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude below those required to debilitate prey. |
| in a 2016 tagging study, three adult males off northern Norway | whereas all three whales tagged off northern Norway were adult male sperm whales (note: Published 2016.) |
| foraged as deep as 1,862 meters (about 6,100 feet) | Whales foraging in the high latitude habitat switched between shallow (48–217 m) and deeper (253–1862 m) foraging layers. (note: 1,862 m = 6,109 ft. 'High latitude habitat' is the Norway site. The deepest foraging layer of three tagged males, not a species maximum, so the answer frames it as one study's figure.) |
| in old males that blunt head can be up to a third of the body's length | The body plan of sperm whales is dominated by a bluff-fronted head that, in old males, may constitute up to 1/3 of the body length (note: Replaces NOAA's general 'about one-third', which Fais et al. restrict to old males and Clarke (1978) puts at more than a quarter.) |
| In old males, the blunt-fronted head can make up to a third of the body's length. | a bluff-fronted head that, in old males, may constitute up to 1/3 of the body length |
| Its main food is medium-sized squid, around half a meter long and 1 to 3 kilograms each. | The main food source for sperm whales are medium sized squid (0.5 m and 1–3 kg) |
| Much bigger jumbo, giant and colossal squid have occasionally turned up in sperm whale stomachs | Occasionally, much larger squid such as jumbo, giant and colossal squid ... have been found in sperm whale stomachs |
| It finds that food by echolocation, listening for the echoes of its own clicks. | Sperm whales produce the most powerful biological sounds in the animal kingdom in order to echolocate prey at long ranges |
| Those clicks come from a gigantic nose | The sperm whale carries a hypertrophied nose that generates powerful clicks for long-range echolocation. ... the gigantic nose of sperm whales |
| A hypothesis nicknamed the "biological big bang" proposed that the whale stuns its prey with those clicks. | advanced the so-called biological big bang hypothesis suggesting that the powerful usual clicks of sperm whales serve to acoustically debilitate prey and thereby facilitate capture |
| A 2016 study tested it with sound-and-motion tags on six whales. | a specific test of the different ... hypotheses require fine scale data ... Here we use high resolution sound and movement recording tags on free-ranging sperm whales ... the 6 tagged sperm whales (note: Published 2016; six = 6.) |
| About a body length from their prey, the tagged whales switched to a fast buzz of clicks and turned them down by 20 to 40 decibels | The tagged sperm whales reduced their ICIs by more than an order of magnitude when switching from usual to buzz clicking ( Fig. 4A,B ). Simultaneously they reduced the output level of their clicks by 20–40 dB ... At a mean estimated distance of 9 meters to the prey, the tagged sperm whales switched from the approach to the buzz phase. This hand-off distance is about a body length of a female sperm whale (note: The conclusion puts it the same way: whales 'reduce acoustic outputs by several orders of magnitude when they are about their own body length from their prey'.) |
| so the sound reaching the prey stayed far below what it takes to stun it | Instead they dramatically reduce source levels when they are within a body length of their prey resulting in exposure levels that are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude below those required to debilitate prey. |
| The quiet, rapid clicks give the whale fast updates on where its prey is | buzzing involves high-frequency, low amplitude clicks well suited to provide high-resolution biosonar updates during the last stages of capture |
| sudden jolts recorded near the end of most buzzes | strong transients of jerk were found around 5 seconds before the end of the majority of buzzes (note: 'most' for 'the majority of'; jerk transients are sudden changes in acceleration.) |
| point to fast jaw movements, suction or both to catch it | prey are eventually subdued with the aid of fast jaw movements and/or buccal suction as indicated by acceleration transients (jerks) near the end of buzzes |
| Sperm whales are major nutrient recyclers in the world's oceans | a major nutrient recycler in the world ... responsible for an annual biomass turnover that has been compared to the combined catches of human fisheries |
| the prey they get through each year has been compared to the combined catch of human fisheries | responsible for an annual biomass turnover that has been compared to the combined catches of human fisheries (note: 'annual biomass turnover' put as the prey they get through each year.) |

## Red List Status of Cetaceans. IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group.

https://iucn-csg.org/red-list-status-of-cetaceans/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | Seven species are classified as Vulnerable: Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) , Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) , Australian snubfin dolphins (Orcaella heinsohni) , Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) (note: IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group status page, 'Updated October 2025', against Red List version 2025-2. iucnredlist.org refuses scripts.) |
| the IUCN lists it as Vulnerable | Seven species are classified as Vulnerable: Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) , Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) , Australian snubfin dolphins (Orcaella heinsohni) , Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) |

## Clarke (1978). Structure and Proportions of the Spermaceti Organ in the Sperm Whale. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025315400024371

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| an oil-filled organ that makes up a large part of the sperm whale's head | the spermaceti oil, which is the most remarkable component and constitutes a large proportion of the head |