How deep can a sperm whale dive? Let us find out, and meet the whale along the way. The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales, and it lives in all the oceans of the world.
An adult male sperm whale is 49 to 59 feet (15 to 18 metres) long, and it can weigh up to 45 tons. An adult female is smaller, up to about 40 feet long.
A sperm whale's head is about one-third of the length of its whole body. The sperm whale has the largest brain of any animal. It is named after spermaceti, a waxy substance in its head.
A sperm whale is dark gray. The skin behind its head is wrinkled. It has one blowhole, on the left side of its head.
A sperm whale eats mostly squid, and it eats about one ton of food in a day. Its large teeth are in its lower jaw, and each tooth is 3 to 8 inches long.
Adult male sperm whales usually live alone, except in the breeding season. Young males leave their family groups and live with other young males. Female sperm whales and their young travel together in groups, and they stay in warm tropical waters all year.
A mother sperm whale carries her calf for 14 to 16 months before it is born. When it is born, the calf is about 13 feet long. It nurses for two years or more.
Sperm whales make clicking sounds, and they use echolocation to find food.
Now we can answer the question. Sperm whales dive deep down in the ocean to find food. They often dive down to about 2,000 feet (600 metres), and a sperm whale can dive deeper than 3,000 feet (about 1,000 metres). It can stay underwater for an hour or more.
Words to know
- echolocation: finding by sound
- spermaceti: waxy substance
- tropical: very warm
- calf: baby whale
The short version
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales. An adult male is 49 to 59 feet long and can weigh up to 45 tons. Sperm whales often dive to about 2,000 feet and can dive deeper than 3,000 feet. They eat mostly squid and live in all the oceans of the world.
Quick facts
- An adult male sperm whale is 49 to 59 feet (15 to 18 metres) long.
- A sperm whale can dive deeper than 3,000 feet (about 1,000 metres).
- A sperm whale can stay underwater for an hour or more.
- A sperm whale eats mostly squid.
- Sperm whales live in all the oceans of the world.
How deep can a sperm whale dive?
A sperm whale can dive deeper than 3,000 feet (about 1,000 metres). Sperm whales often dive down to about 2,000 feet (600 metres). A sperm whale can stay underwater for an hour or more.
What do sperm whales eat?
A sperm whale eats mostly squid. It eats about one ton of food in a day. It has large teeth in its lower jaw, and the teeth are 3 to 8 inches long.
