CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SPERM WHALE 145 



a habitant of the warm seas of the globe, from the North 

 Atlantic, around Cape Horn, to the North Pacific. 



The Sperm Whale has an enormous, square-ended head, 

 which constitutes one-third of its entire bulk. Under this 

 great mass is the lower jaw of solid bone, shaped like a let- 

 ter Y, the stem being fully armed with a double row of huge, 

 conical teeth. In comparison with the great bulk of the 

 head, the lower jaw seems absurdly small; but it is a formi- 

 dable weapon, and whalers dread it. 



In seizing a whale-boat, a man struggling in the water, 

 or any other dangerous enemy, a Sperm Whale turns on its 

 side or back, like a shark, in order to bring its lower jaw over 

 its victim. 



The largest Sperm Whales have measured from 80 to 

 84 feet. At birth they are from 11 to 14 feet long. Their 

 food consists of fish of various kinds and also squid. A young 

 whale, only 20 feet long, which was taken on the coast 

 of Cornwall, had in its stomach about 300 mackerel. The 

 head of the Sperm Whale yields sperm oil, spermaceti and 

 teeth which are valuable for ivory. A substance called 

 ambergris, of much value to druggists and perfumers, is 

 occasionally found in the intestinal canal. 



The Sperm Whale Porpoise, or "Pygmy Sperm Whale" 

 (Ko'gi-a), is found on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of 

 the United Stales. It is a true pygmy, adult specimens 

 being but 15 feet long. They are so rare that their existence 

 in the western Atlantic Ocean was not known until 1883, when 

 a specimen was washed ashore at Spring Lake, New Jersey, 

 and secured by the United States National Museum. 



