Sperm whale

Physeter macrocephalus

The largest predator on the planet

Numbers

Weight: 90000 lbmales average 90,000 lb, females 30,000; maximum recorded 126,000 lb
Length: 52 ftmales average 52 feet, females 36 feet; maximum 67 feet
Lifespan: 70 yearsestimate of maximum lifespan, not an average: the material does not provide an average lifespan
Depth: 7400 ftusual dives are much shorter, under 1,600 feet
Brain weight: 18 lbthe largest in the animal kingdom
Sound intensity: 230 decibelsmeasured at a distance of three feet

its head contains up to five hundred gallons of spermaceti, a waxy substance that whalers used to call whale oil.
teeth grow only in the lower jaw, reach ten inches in length, and weigh one pound, but their exact function remains uncertain.
completely toothless individuals have been found in perfect health, showing that teeth are not strictly necessary for feeding.
its muscles store 0.2 ounces of myoglobin for every 3.5 ounces of tissue, compared to barely 0.02 ounces in humans.
the blow comes out of a single blowhole shifted to the left and shoots forward, a unique feature among all cetaceans.
it dives on average at four hundred feet per minute, but during short bursts it can reach two thousand feet per minute.
older individuals show bone lesions caused by nitrogen bubbles, much like human divers suffering from decompression sickness.
when killer whales attack, females form a circle like flower petals, placing the young in the center and tails facing outward.
in 2002 two researchers discovered vocal clans, which are groups of whales that share distinct sound patterns different from others.
between the world wars its clicks were blamed on a mysterious carpenter fish because they sound like heavy hammer blows.

The first one is the question printed in your book: here is the answer. The other four are extra.

Question 1 of 5★ this one is in your book

How much space does the head of the sperm whale take up compared to the rest of its body?

Question 2 of 5

How deep can a sperm whale dive?

Question 3 of 5

What is inside the huge organ in the head of a sperm whale?

Question 4 of 5

Which body part receives the echo of the sperm whale's clicks?

Question 5 of 5

Why was the sperm whale hunted for two centuries?

Experiment 1

Hold your breath and time yourself while sitting safely on dry land, then compare your score with the two hours this sea mammal can spend underwater.

Experiment 2

Measure out fifty-two feet using a tape measure in your yard or at a local park, which is the average length of an adult male.

Experiment 3

Fill a half-gallon water bottle, then imagine needing one thousand of them just to match the amount of spermaceti stored inside a single adult head.