Whales are divided into toothed whales and baleen whales. We can distinguish them based on whether they have teeth or baleen plates.
For example, sperm whales, beaked whales, and dolphins belong to the tooth whale suborder. While blue whales, fin whales, fin whales, and other baleen whales belong to the baleen whale suborder.
The world’s largest toothed whale
The sperm whale can grow up to 18 meters in length, weigh more than 50 tons, and have a life span of about 70 years, with a maximum of more than 100 years.
It is widely distributed in non-icing seas worldwide, mainly inhabiting seas between 70 degrees north and south latitudes.
They swim quickly, at speeds up to 12 nautical miles per hour. They often live in groups of 5 to 20 and up to 200 to 300, and they mainly eat large squid and fish.
The stomach capacity can reach more than 300 kg, and the swallowing volume is quite amazing.
Diving Champion
The sperm whales can hold their breath underwater for up to two hours because it breathes in for five minutes before diving.
Let oxygen combine with myoglobin. But when it comes across with the ship or any disturbance, it was too nervous and dive into deep.
It also has a very special preference for king squid that preys on the deep sea. Because the king squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoniis) the main food source for sperm whales, it has evolved excellent diving capabilities in order to prey on the king squid in the deep sea.
Strange way of sleeping
I guess you probably haven’t watched the sperm whale sleep. Let me show you the picture below.
If you just glance at it, you might think that what you see is a Stonehenge. When you look closely, you will find that this is a huge group of sperm whales sleeping and drifting towards the sea while sleeping.
According to the research of scientists, the sperm whale sleeps only about 7% of its life, and it is one of the shortest sleeping marine mammals, so people can’t see it sleeping, and it’s justifiable. People don’t give you a chance (It’s arrogant).
The precious product called Ambergris
The origin of the name of the sperm whale is related to its product. The sperm whale swallowed the giant squid in one bite, but could not digest the squid’s horny beak.
They gradually secrete a thick dark substance in the small intestine that wraps this indigestible thing. It is stored in the colon and rectum.
It smells bad when it is first discharged. It drifts in the sea for a while and gradually smells better than “musk.”
Ambergris is the best substance to keep perfume fragrance and is used as a perfume fixative.
Ambergris need to be floated in the sea for hundreds of years to become white, reaching the standard of top-grade ambergris. In other words: killing the sperm whale and then removing the ambergris from its belly is worthless!
At present, the international market for natural ambergris is completely controlled by France, a major perfumery country.
The purchase price per kilogram is between 14,000 and 45,000 francs, and the processing price of the fragrance company is 60,000 to 100,000 francs per kilogram.
Comes as a fixative for perfumes, such as Hermes perfumes, faith perfumes, and other precious French perfumes all contain ambergris.
In addition, in “Compendium of Materia Medica” it is recorded that ambergris can “promote blood circulation and benefits essence”.
Ambergris in traditional Chinese medicine is used as a medicine for reducing phlegm, dispersing knots, and promoting blood circulation. It can be said that ambergris is very high in terms of drug value and economic value.
The sperm whales in Sri Lanka
First formally documented stranded injured sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) that washed ashore in Mannar, Sri Lanka in 1889.
There is also a seasonal trend in strandings, with the highest number of reports recorded in August and November in Sri Lanka.
This species is most commonly seen in waters off northwest, northeast, and southern waters in Sri Lanka.
The tragedy of sperm whales
The whale oil and whale naphtha of the whale are expensive, and the sperm whale has precious spermaceti oil in its body, and its action is slow and clumsy, resulting in a large number of killings in the 19th century.
Although the whaling industry has now been stopped, fishing nets, ship collisions and environmental pollution still threaten these giant sea creatures, making the planet’s most adaptable species tragically nowhere to hide.
Every year, a large number of whales are killed due to stranding. Turtles caught on fishing nets, 44 pounds of plastic found in pregnant giant whales, the decline of marine species diversity, etc.
News are reminding us that the marine environment has become a major problem for us.
