[Animals] Lonely and gigantic: this is the sperm whale, the species of whale that inspired Moby Dick

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The sperm whale is famous for hunting giant squids and other underwater beasts. This is all we know of the species.
Sailing the waters of the Mediterranean, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California, the sperm whale is one of the largest cetaceans on the planet. Currently, because of how versatile the species has proven to be, it is one of the most abundant cetacean species in the world.

Not only that: it is among the most mobile whale species in existence. Male sperm whales travel to northern latitudes to feed, while females and their young stay in between. This is what we know about the species.

Sperm whale: a giant-headed cetacean

In addition to being the longest cetaceans in the Mediterranean, sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are distinguished from other whales by having truly immense heads. The skull alone corresponds to a third of its entire body, documents the CRAM foundation, dedicated to scientific conservation projects in Europe. For this reason, too, they have the largest brains in the animal kingdom.

Adult specimens are generally gray or brown, with a white lower jaw. If they have spots on their bellies, they are most likely scars from encounters with other sperm whales—or with their prey. In adulthood, they reach up to 20 meters in length.

The species presents sexual dimorphism. That is, the males are much larger and heavier than the females. In both cases, they can live between 60 and 70 years. They typically mate in tropical waters in mid-winter and mid-summer, seeking warmer waters.

What does the longest cetacean in the Mediterranean eat?
Sperm whales are famous for eating giant squids. In the depths of the ocean, he looks for large animals to get his fill. However, it can also eat "octopuses, rays and some demersal bony fish", documents the CRAM foundation.

IN FACT, THE SPERM WHALF IS SAYED TO BE THE ORIGINAL INSPIRATION FOR HERMAN MELVILLE'S MOBY DICK NOVEL (1851): "A WHALE THAT RAMED AND SANK THE SHIP ESSEX AND AN ALBINO ADULT MALE CALLED MOBY DICK", DOCUMENTS OCEANWIDE EXPEDITION.

The monstrous quality with which Melville portrayed the whale in his novel is no accident. On average, an adult sperm whale eats 900 kilos of meat. Generally, their prey "dive between 300 and 1,200 meters deep," the institution details. However, the species has the ability to dive up to 2 kilometers below the surface to hunt.

Although families of sperm whales have up to 20 specimens, males prefer to lead a life in solitude. The females live with their young and other companions. However, from the age of approximately 4, the males move away from their families and live on their own. They only come back to reproduce.

Still, when they sense a threat, they defend the most vulnerable members of the group in a 'daisy' formation. This means that the weaker specimens stay in the center, while the stronger ones are placed around it, in the form of petals. For the rest, the species is not characterized by being particularly sociable.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/cachalote-que-come-y-donde-vive/