Sperm Whale

Colour - dark bluish-grey, lighter below

Length - males 12 to 18 metres; females 6 to 9 metres

Shape - large head with square snout; blow-hole on left side of top of the head and pointed forward, and the spout goes markedly forward as a result; dorsal fin absent; last 1/3 of back has a series of small humps, the first of which appears like a small dorsal fin

Behaviour - often solitary; males collect harems for breeding, although this is not seen in the Arctic (rather the North Atlantic Ocean); can dive extremely deep in search of squid and remain submerged for very long periods (approaching an hour) using echo-location to find prey in the absence of light; eats fish and squid (including giant squid up to 15 metres long)

Distribution - present in Davis Strait and off Labrador in summer; rarely north of Davis Strait

Sensitivity - scientific evidence about reactions to vessels and aircraft is lacking

Note - This whale was once highly prized by hunters for the waxy substance in its head, but was hunted close to extinction and is no longer sought much since the introduction of man-made alternative chemicals to its wax. Sperm Whales were also hunted because they contain ambergris, a substance once very valuable in the production of perfumes and likely derived from the digestion of squid, in their intestinal tracts. Inuit and Inuvialuit hunters have rarely hunted this whale because it is usually far from shore and is difficult to kill and recover because of its enormous size.

Sperm Whale (55 KB)

Lancaster Sound Area Distribution Maps: This species is not sensitive in this area, therefore no maps are presented.

Coronation Gulf Area Distribution Maps: This species is not sensitive in this area, therefore no maps are presented.