I know it would be better to see this animal alive, but we don't get to see Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in this area very often. This one washed up in Mendocino in late July. I heard about this observation from Alisha, and Abbey kindly shared photos from 29 July 2022.
Abbey mentioned that folks at the Noyo Center in Fort Bragg recorded this as a 27-foot long male. The tongue was missing and the scratch marks on the whale's skin indicate a possibly attack by Orcas.
Here's a closer view where you can see the large, square head and the narrow lower jaw. Sperm Whales can have 18-26 pairs of teeth. [You can click on the image for a larger version.]
Sperm Whales are more often found in deeper waters — over the continental slope and far offshore, so we don't get to see them near shore that often. (I've seen a small group of Sperm Whales once on a pelagic trip to Cordell Bank and beyond — a memorable experience, but regrettably I didn't have a camera at the time.)
A few fun Sperm Whale facts: They can dive as deep as 3200 m (2 miles!) and for more than 2 hours. They can live for 70 years and possibly longer.
With many thanks to Abbey for taking the time to document this Sperm Whale and sharing photos with us!
Thanks for showing us a sperm whale. Is it common for orcas to eat only the tongue of other whales? Seems strange. Is whale tongue especially nutritious?
ReplyDeleteHi, Bill,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about the "why", but I have heard about Orcas removing the tongues from different species of whales -- e.g., Humpback Whales, Gray Whales, Blue Whales, Minke Whales (and others). Some people suggest that the tongue is relatively easy to access and could be more nutritious, but I haven't heard a definitive explanation.
Jackie