THE SPERM WHALE, PHYSETER 



CATODON 



By L. Harrison Matthews, m.a. 

 (Plates III-XI; Text-figs. 1-67) 



INTRODUCTION 



EIGHTY-ONE Sperm whales have been examined during the course of the Discovery 

 investigations and the data obtained from them are set out and discussed in this 

 report. 



On the southern whaling grounds the Sperm whale is an unimportant fraction of the 

 annual catch of whales, but at Durban, Natal, it is taken in some numbers. Two visits 

 were paid to the Durban whaling stations by members of the Committee's scientific 

 stafi^, and important information relating to the Sperm whale was then collected. 



Although much has been written on the Sperm whale, both from the anatomical and 

 general natural history points of view, little, if any, exact work on the biology of the 

 species has been published. It is hoped that this report will provide a start in remedying 

 the deficiency in our knowledge of the life of this whale. 



The information recorded during examination of the whales at the whaling stations 

 consisted of the routine system of measurements of various parts of the body that has 

 been adhered to throughout the investigations, notes on the external characters, teeth, 

 food, internal and external parasites, condition of the genitalia and degree of physical 

 maturity. Very rarely, however, has a complete set of observations been made on any 

 one whale. The information collected is discussed under the appropriate headings 

 below, together with certain information derived from other sources. 



It is with pleasure that I express my thanks to those friends who have given me the 

 benefit of their assistance and criticism in compiling this report: in particular I am in- 

 debted to Dr S. Kemp, Dr A. S. Parkes, Dr Francis C. Fraser and Mr Martin A. C. 

 Hinton. 



MATERIAL 



Of the eighty-one Sperm whales examined, sixty-seven were males and fourteen 

 females. Particulars of the distribution of these in place and time are shown in Table I. 

 Further information, contained in the British Museum whaling statistics, has also been 

 used and is referred to in the appropriate sections below. 



The information derived from the females is of particular interest because no exact 

 data regarding the breeding of this species have been collected previously, and, although 

 the numbers are regrettably few, it has been possible to arrive at a number of tentative 

 conclusions on this subject. They are put forward as tentative conclusions only, but it is 

 felt that with them a definite start has been made in elucidating the biology of the Sperm 

 whale. 



