PHYSETERID^ 27 



Physeter macrocephalus Linn. (Great — head.) 



SPERM WHALE. 



Blackish above ; lighter below, particularly on the breast. 



Leng-th of adult male from 70 to 85 feet ; females much 

 smaller. 



Found in nearly all seas from 56 degrees north latitude to 

 50 degrees south. 



"This, the largest of the toothed cetaceans, is known to Eng- 

 lish and Amercan whalemen as the Sperm Whale, to the Germans 

 as the Pottfish, and to the French as the Cachelot. It widely 

 differs from all others of the order, both in figure and habits. 

 The fully matured animal equals, if it does not exceed, the Bow- 

 head in magnitude and in commercial value. The adult female, 

 however, is only about one-third or one-fourth of the size of the 

 largest male. She is likewise more slender in form. 



"The largest males measure eighty to eighty-four feet. The. 

 pondrous head is nearly one third the whole bulk of the animal, 

 and over one-quarter of its length. The opening of its mouth is 

 about five-sixths the length of the head; the lower jaw, from the 

 expansion of the condyles, contracts abruptly to a narrow sym- 

 phasis, and is studded on each side with 22 to 24 strong, sharp 

 and conical teeth, fitting into the furrow or cavity in the upper 

 jaw, which is destitute of, or contains only rudimentary teeth. 

 pT^e tongue, which is usually of a whitish color, is not capable 

 of much protrusion. The throat, however, is large, and is said 

 to be capacious enough to receive the body of a man. The eyes 

 are placed a little above and behind the angle of the mouth. A 

 few inches behind the eyes are the openings of the ears, which 

 are not one-fourth of an inch in diameter. Above, and at the 

 junction of the head with the body proper, is a swell called 'the 

 bunch of the neck.' About midway between tliis protuberance 

 and the caudal fin is another and larger bunch, called the 'hump ;' 

 then follows a succession of smaller processes along the 'small' 

 toward the posterior extremity which is called the Vidge.' 



"The pectorals or side fins are placed a little below and be- 



