Sperm Whale

Description:

The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale. Males reach 17 m in length and the smaller females are 12 m. They are dark gray in color, have a hump rather than a dorsal fin, and usually display their tail flukes when they dive. Their skin is wrinkled to increase surface area for heat loss, giving them a shriveled look. Their heads make up one-third of their body length and are squarish in shape. They have a single, S-shaped blowhole located far forward and to the left of their head, which produces a distinctive angled spout or blow. Males have about 40-50 teeth, located only in their narrow lower jaw; females have even fewer teeth.

Habitat:

The grand Manan Conservation Area in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Notes:

It was a very misty, misty day and we did not have much luck in finding / spotting a whale. We had seen one earlier but it only showed himself ones. Then we saw another one (this one). He surfaced three times, but did not show us his fluke. What we did see (which was very interesting) was his "footprint" the "print" of the displacement of water made by the movement of his tail! Flat surface on the water.