Pygmy Sperm Whale

• Its head recalls a shark's, with a false gill marked behind the eye.
• It releases a cloud of reddish gut fluid to confuse predators, much as a squid does.
• It is one of the least known cetaceans, with too little data on its population.
• defensaIt can release a cloud of dark gut fluid, much like squid ink, to confuse predators while it escapes.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (marine mammal)

Habitat & environment

Temperate and tropical oceanic waters worldwide, mainly beyond the edge of the continental shelf

Birth weight

50 - 55 kg; 1.2 m long at birth

Size at birth

1.2 m long at birth

Sexual maturity

4-5 years

Gestation / incubation

9-11 months

Litter / clutch size

1 young a season, and it may breed in successive years

Sources consulted: MarineBio; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animalia.bio; Palm Beach Dolphin Tours; Animal Diversity Web; Kaieteur News; NOAA Fisheries

Best time: All year round in deep oceanic water, although it is very hard to observe: most records come from strandings.