BBC - Science & Nature - Sea Life - Fact files: Great sperm whale

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Great sperm whale
Physeter catodon

Subspecies
None

Statistics
Body length is 11-18m. Males weigh 40-50 tonnes whereas females weigh only a third as much as this.

Physical Description
Sperm whales have a huge, square head with a low hump in place of a dorsal fin. They have dark, wrinkled skin.

Distribution
They are found in all the oceans except the Arctic.

Diet
Their diet consists mainly of squid, although they will also feed on octopus, deep-water fish, sharks and skate.

Behaviour
Sperm whales live in groups of 1-50 individuals and are very deep divers, reaching depths of 1000m.

Conservation status
They are locally common.

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