Sperm whale Facts for Kids
Physeter macrocephalus · fy-SEE-ter mak-roh-SEF-uh-lus
The biggest toothed whale, and one of the deepest divers of all.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 15 to 45 tons14 to 41 tonnes1
- 📏 40 to 52 ft12 to 16 m1 long
- 🎂 60 years60 years1
- 🍽️ meat
- Needs help (Vulnerable)
The sperm whale has a huge, box-shaped head. It is the biggest whale with teeth. It dives deep down into the dark sea to find squid.
A sperm whale dives into the dark, deep sea and can stay under for a long time, because its body stores extra oxygen in its muscles. In the dark it finds squid by making loud clicks and listening for the echoes. Its blowhole is on the front left of its head, so its spout angles forward and to the left.
Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales, with teeth only in the lower jaw, and their brain is the biggest of any animal. Mothers, aunts and calves live in close family groups, while older males often travel alone in colder waters. Each family has its own pattern of clicks, like a family dialect. Whalers once hunted sperm whales for their oil, and they became rare; today they are protected, and scientists use underwater microphones to listen to them.
How big is a sperm whale?
Sperm whale in numbers
| Length | 40 to 52 ft12 to 16 m1females to males |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 15 to 45 tons14 to 41 tonnes1females to males; US tons |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 60 years60 years1up to |
| What it eats | squid, octopus and fish |
| Where it lives | deep waters of oceans around the world |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Needs help (Vulnerable)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- Its brain is the biggest of any animal.
- Its spout angles forward and to the left.
- Families of sperm whales have their own click patterns, like a dialect.
Compare the sperm whale
Friends and neighbours
Blue whale
Orca
Giant Pacific octopusThree questions
Books about the sperm whale, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the sperm whale for free.
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Sperm whale (Q81214), checked 30 October 2026.