Sperm Whale

Hello from the deep blue sea! I am a Sperm Whale, and I'm so happy to meet you. I am the largest toothed whale on the whole planet! The first thing you might notice about me is my giant head. It's the biggest head of any animal in the world. I was born into a big, loving family called a pod. Female sperm whales and their young often stay together in pods, while adult males tend to be more solitary. Living with my mother, aunts, and cousins is the best. We are always together, swimming through the warm ocean waters. We don't talk with words like you do, but we chat all day long using our own special language. We make clicking and whistling sounds to tell each other where we are and how we are feeling. It’s like we are always playing a game of Marco Polo, but with sounds instead of words!

When my tummy starts to rumble, I know it’s time to find my favorite snack: giant squid! But finding them is a big adventure. They live way, way down in the ocean where the sunlight can't reach. Sperm whales are deep-diving mammals that can reach depths where sunlight doesn't penetrate, but they also surface regularly and inhabit a range of ocean depths. It's very dark down there. To get my dinner, I have to take a super big breath of air at the surface that can last me for a very long time. Then, I dive down, down, down into the dark. How do I see where I'm going? I use a special trick called echolocation. I make my clicking sounds, and when the sound bumps into something, like a yummy squid, an echo comes back to me. It's like having a superpower that lets me see with sound! This helps me find my way and hunt for my food in the pitch-black water, thousands of feet below the surface.

My family has been swimming in these oceans for a very long time, but our story has had some sad parts. A long time ago, starting back in the 1700s, people in big boats began to hunt us. They wanted something special that is inside my big head, an oil called spermaceti. Because of this hunting, many of my family members were taken away, and our pods became much smaller. It was a very hard time for sperm whales all over the world. We were scared, and it felt like our families might not survive. But after many, many years, people started to understand that what they were doing was hurting us. They realized that the oceans needed my family, and we needed help.

And guess what? Help did come! In 1986, a wonderful thing happened. Special rules were made all around the world to protect us from most hunting. This was great news! While the cessation of commercial whaling has allowed some sperm whale populations to begin recovering, the extent of this recovery varies by region, with some areas showing signs of increase and others not. It meant our pods could finally feel safe again, and our families started to grow bigger and stronger. Now, I have an important job as a guardian of the ocean. My poop helps feed the tiny plants in the water, and those plants make the air that you and I both breathe! It feels good to know I am helping the whole world. My family and I will keep swimming the seas for many years to come, as we sperm whales can live to be 60 years old or even more.