Humpback Whales tend to feed within 50m of the water's surface, taking krill and shoaling fish. Size comparison between a sperm whale, giant squid & whale watch vesselĪ species of baleen whale that migrates from the Antarctic to the tropics to mate and give birth in winter. The last sperm whale hunted in Kaikōura was on December 21 st 1964.Sperm whales have the largest brain of any animal – up to 9kgs in weight.Sperm whales bodies can be broken down into 3 thirds – Head / Torso and Tail.Sperm whales only have teeth on their lower jaw.It is a feeding ground for the young males who come here to feed them and build themselves up making themselves more socially and sexually acceptable for later on in life. Kaikōura plays host to the male sperm whales only, with the females and the young whales found in the warmer tropical waters. Unlike other species of whales that feed only during certain times of the year, sperm whales feed all the time, they can eat around 3% of their body weight each day which for an adult male sperm whale can mean around 1.5 tonnes of food per day. Sperm whales eat prey found on or near the ocean bottom, squid is their main diet but they also eat sharks and various bony fish. They are also the champion breath holders generally averaging dives of between 40-60 minutes but have been recorded at ‘holding their breath’ for over 2 hours. Sperm whales are one of the deepest diving whales, they usually dive hundreds of meters to find their food but have been recorded at depths of over 3000m which is phenomenal. It is because of this oil that man hunted the sperm whales, going after the prized spermaceti oil that was used to make smokeless candles during the 19 th century. Sperm whales are named after the spermaceti oil (wax) that they produce in the spermaceti organ located in their head.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |