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  • Adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) cruising at the ocean surface on a sunny day
    sperm-whale-adult-female-physeter-ma...tif
  • Sperm whale skin is thin and almost transparent, as is apparent from the large piece of skin I'm holding in my hand. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) shed and slough off skin continuously, perhaps as a mechanism for maintaining healthy skin and shedding parasites. This large piece of skin came off an adult female sperm whale, part of a family group of nine individuals.
    sperm-whale-skin-physeter-macrocepha...tif
  • A group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) with one defecating. These whales are all females, and were part of a large gathering, comprising up to perhaps 100 individuals divided among several groups distributed over a large area. Sperm whales seem to defecate often while they are at the surface.
    sperm-whales-defecating-sri-lanka-ph...tif
  • Head-on view of an inquisitive juvenile sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) accompanied by large remoras and tiny pilot fish. Note the shedding of the whale's skin, which is common for sperm whales. The position of the whale's single blowhole on the left side of its head is also apparent from this angle of view.
    sperm-whale-frontal-view-physeter-ma...tif
  • Large cluster of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) that were part of an enormous superpod gathering comprising hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals. As is typical of sperm whale social activity, there was a lot of tactile contact accompanied by biosonar clicking, with sloughing of skin, defecation, passing of gas. The water was milky white and oily from the activity.
    sperm-whale-superpod-physeter-macroc...tif
  • A dense group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) that were part of a massive social gathering of hundreds of individuals. As shown here, sperm whales seem to defecate frequently when they are at the surface, especially during intense social activity. The whales' defecation and other bodily excretions imparted an oily consistency to the seawater, as can be seen here, backlit by the low light of the late-afternoon sun. Besides socializing in this manner, the large gathering of sperm whales were also foraging for food in between bouts of surface activity.
    sperm-whales-defecating-socializing-...tif
  • Portrait of a mature female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
    sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-d...tif
  • Sperm whale calf (Physeter macrocephalus) breaching. Photographed in the Ogasawara archipelago of Japan, also known as the Bonin Islands in English.
    breaching-sperm-whale-calf-physeter-...tif
  • Pandemonium and commotion among a group of socializing sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)
    sperm-whale-social-group-physeter-ma...tif
  • A family of twelve sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) engaged in social activity, with a lot of rubbing against one another, resulting in sloughing off of skin.
    sperm-whale-family-socializing-physe...tif
  • A friendly adult sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) hanging just below the ocean surface, with two other members of her family group just visible in the image, one below, the faint shadow of one swimming away at the top right. Note the whitened area around the whale's mouth, which is typical of sperm whales, and also the teeth of the lower jaw. Sperm whales generally do not have teeth in their upper jaws.
    sperm-whale-female-physeter-macrocep...tif
  • Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) shed and slough off skin continuously, perhaps as a mechanism for maintaining healthy skin and shedding parasites. This is a large piece of skin that came off an adult female sperm whale, part of a family group of nine individuals. Sperm whale skin is very thin and almost transparent.
    sperm-whale-skin-physeter-macrocepha...tif
  • Part of an enormous social gathering comprising hundreds of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) over many square kilometers. This group comprised dozens of individuals that were busy clicking, blowing bubbles, rubbing their bodies against one another, diving to forage for food, and defecating continuously.
    sperm-whale-social-group-physeter-ma...tif
  • Head-on, close-up view of an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). This angle provides an excellent view of the sperm whale's disproportionately large forehead. The white coloration around the whale's mouth is a common trait.
    sperm-whale-head-physeter-macrocepha...tif
  • A family unit of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off the coast of Rouseau, Dominica. The group comprises adult females and juvenile whales. Notice that the individual deepest down is passing gas, which sperm whales seem to do a lot.
    sperm-whale-family-physeter-macrocep...tif
  • Mature sperm whale bull (Physeter macrocephalus) in the foreground with adult females visible in the background. This male was 15-16m in length. Though he approached females in the vicinity continually and persistently, the females did not exhibit interest. On this one occasion, he was associated with seven females, six of which are visible here, though the females left him shortly after this photograph was taken. Note the parallel scars on the male’s head, indiciative of encounters with other mature males.
    sperm-whale-mature-bull-with-females...tif
  • Close-up view of the ventral surface of an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), with three others in the background.
    sperm-whales-physeter-macrocephalus-...tif
  • This is a small social unit, or perhaps part of a social unit, of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). There were three young whales in the group. Pictured here is one of the young whales, around seven to eight meters in length, taking an interest in me, with the other members of the social unit visible in the background.
    sperm-whale-social-unit-inquisitive-...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) at the ocean surface with her mouth open. This whale has just surfaced from foraging in deep water. There is a small piece of squid on the tip of her lower jaw. She has many visible scars left by the suckers of Architeuthis sp. giant squid, which seem to be among the primary prey hunted by sperm whales in the waters of Ogasawara (the Bonin Islands) in Japan.
    sperm-whale-mouth-open-ogasawara-jap...tif
  • This is an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) raising her fluke just prior to diving down to forage for food.
    sperm-whale-fluke-sri-lanka-201703-2...tif
  • Pictured here are ten sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) that were swimming together, mixed in with a larger gathering of whales. I estimate there were between 50 and 100 individuals in total, though it is difficult to be certain given their continual movement and diving. A couple of the whales can be seen defecating, an activity that seems to be a normal part of social interaction at the surface. Sperm whales are also frequently flatulent, as can be seen here.
    sperm-whales-defecating-socializing-...tif
  • Whereas baleen whales have two exterior nostrils (called blowholes), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) have a single blowhole on the left side of their heads. The other nostril has been modified into an internal organ called the phonic lip that produces the clicks and other sounds that these whales use for communication and echolocation.
    sperm-whale-blowhole-201703-1222.tif
  • Close-up view of the jaw and mouth area of a sperm whale fetus (Physeter macrocephalus) measuring between 60cm and 70cm. The fetus was male, found in the teaching collection of a natural history museum. The origin of the preserved specimen is unknown.
    sperm-whale-fetus-jaw-201606-2331.tif
  • Aggregation of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) engaged in social activity. These whales were part of much larger gathering comprising hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals. The large aggregation persisted for two days.
    sperm-whale-aggregation-201402-1342.tif
  • Family of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) engaged in social activity. Sperm whales are very tactile, as can be seen here with the whales rubbing against one another. This group had three juvenile whales among them.
    social-group-family-sperm-whales-ind...tif
  • Ventral view of an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) at the ocean surface with her mouth slightly open. From this angle, the pockets in her upper jaw are clearly visible. Sperm whales have teeth only in their lower jaws. The pockets are where her teeth fit in.
    sperm-whale-adult-female-ventral-vie...tif
  • Profile view of an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
    sperm-whale-female-adult-profile-201...tif
  • Vertebrae from a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) that stranded on a small island in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. These vertebrae and most of the whale's skeleton was in the process of being cleaned. The bones were buried in the sand, and there was still decomposing soft tissue on the bones.
    sperm-whale-vertebrae-on-beach-by-mo...tif
  • Underwater view of a footprint left on the ocean surface by the fluke of a swimming adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
    sperm-whale-footprint-underwater-vie...tif
  • Tiny female sperm whale calf (Physeter macrocephalus), which was allowed to play by itself. This calf's family was in the immediate vicinity socializing and foraging for food, but the calf was allowed to wander off and explore. It was inquisitive and approached several times. In this photo, the calf has placed its fluke gently on my head. We swam together like this, calf resting her fluke on my head. Of note, the calf was approximately two meters long, which is considerably smaller than the usually assumed birth size of four meters or more for sperm whale calves.
    fluke-underside-baby-sperm-whale-fem...tif
  • Tiny female sperm whale calf (Physeter macrocephalus), which was allowed to play by itself. This calf's family was in the immediate vicinity socializing and foraging for food, but the calf was allowed to wander off and explore. It was inquisitive and approached several times. In this photo, the calf has placed its fluke gently on my head. We swam together like this, calf resting her fluke on my head. Of note, the calf was approximately two meters long, which is considerably smaller than the usually assumed birth size of four meters or more for sperm whale calves.
    fluke-underside-baby-sperm-whale-201...tif
  • A group of socializing sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). The whale in the foreground is male, with his penis extended. Though difficult to assess from this perspective, the male is substantially larger than the accompanying females.
    sperm-whales-socializing-male-with-p...tif
  • Fluke-on view of a group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) socializing. The whales are clustered together head-first, with lots of bio-sonar clicking and rubbing together of their heads and bodies. Mass defecation is often a part of such social activity, with the defecation becoming thick enough to obscure the whales from view, as is the case here. Note the shedding of skin, which is also characteristic of sperm whale socialization.
    sperm-whales-socializing-mass-defeca...tif
  • A large aggregation of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) engaged in social activity. Note the abundance of sloughed off skin in the water, resulting from tactile contact among the whales. Peeling skin is apparent on the individuals in the center of this image. Note also the cloud of defecation. These whales had just emerged from milling around in a gigantic cluster, with many of the whales defecating to such an extent that the water was opaque. This photograph was the winner of the Behaviour: Mammals category of the 53rd Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 2017 (#WPY53) organized by the Natural History Museum in London.
    superpod-aggregation-sperm-whales-de...tif
  • Close-up view of defecation by an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Defecation at the surface is routine behavior for sperm whales. Defecation is an indication that the whale has been feeding successfully.
    sperm-whale-defecation-close-up-2016...tif
  • This is an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) slapping the surface of the ocean with her fluke. She reacted immediately when a person entered the water and tried to approach her and other members of her social unit. The whales were resting, and it was clear that they did not wish to be disturbed. Worse still, other people subsequently entered the water as well. Ecotourism has been a catchall term that connotes a positive activity, but interactions with wild animals like this need to be regulated with proper enforcement by knowledgeable people. Otherwise ecotourism can be a damaging activity, sacrificing the welfare of wildlife for the sake of profit.
    sperm-whale-slapping-fluke-in-respon...tif
  • An enormous mature bull sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) approaching 20m in length. This imposing bull approached to within two to three meters from me. At this proximity, the whale clanged loudly, which caused my ear canals to clear, as if I had executed a Valsalva maneuver. The mature male was associated with a group of females, at one point surfacing adjacent to a mature female. The male easily exceeded 1.5x the length of the female. Note the substantial scarring on the whale’s forehead, likely indicative of interactions with other males.
    enormous-mature-bull-sperm-whale-sri...tif
  • This is a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) defecating while hanging in a vertical position.
    sperm-whale-defecating-vertical-2014...tif
  • Close-up view of the umbilicus, or navel, of male sperm whale fetus (Physeter macrocephalus). This preserved specimen measured between 60cm and 70cm. It was found in the teaching collection of a natural history museum. Its origin is unknown.
    sperm-whale-fetus-umbilicus-201606-2...tif
  • A very small female sperm whale calf (Physeter macrocephalus). This calf's family was in the immediate vicinity socializing and foraging for food, but the calf was allowed to wander off and explore by itself. It was inquisitive and approached several times, placing its fluke gently on my head at one point. Of note, the calf was approximately two meters long, which is considerably smaller than the usually assumed birth size of four meters or more for sperm whale calves.
    sperm-whale-calf-female-very-small-2...tif
  • Pictured here are twelve members of a social unit of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) moving slowly along at a depth of 20m for the whale in the foreground. These whales, most likely all adult females, were relaxed and resting, as evidenced by the closed eye of the whale in the foreground, and the relaxed body language of all the animals. Tactile contact among social unit members, as visible here, is common during group activity.
    sperm-whale-social-unit-resting-2017...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale executing a playful flick of her fluke just before diving down to deep water, perhaps to forage for food. This whale was part of a larger group of 15 to 20 whales that were traveling together across a wide range, spening a lot of time at the surface between dives.
    female-sperm-whale-indian-ocean-sri-...tif
  • Social interaction among sperm whales is often a tactile affair. Social gatherings among members of a sperm whale family unit can involve rubbing of bodies against one another and even gentle mouthing, as pictured here. Photo taken under permit in Roseau, Dominica.
    sperm-whales-socializing-dominica-ph...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) at the ocean surface with her mouth open. This whale has just surfaced from foraging in deep water. There is a small piece of squid on the tip of her lower jaw. She has many visible scars left by the suckers of Architeuthis sp. giant squid, which seem to be among the primary prey hunted by sperm whales in the waters of Ogasawara (the Bonin Islands) in Japan. Note the cluster of sucker scars at the base of the whale's lower jaw. Also, it is possible to see inside the roof of the whale's mouth. This angle shows clearly that the whale has no teeth in the upper jaw, only the lower jaw.
    sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-o...tif
  • This is an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) at the ocean surface, with other members of her social unit visible in the background.
    sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-o...tif
  • A family of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) resting at the ocean surface, with the lead female holding Architeuthis giant squid in her mouth. There was a calf in this family group that was unable to dive deep for extended periods of time with the adults. It is possible that the adults were teaching the calf to consume giant squid, as the family group played with the squid for an extended period of time, with the whales shredding the squid to pieces in the process. Photographed in Ogasawara, Japan.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • A group of twenty three sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) traveling together. These whales (all females and immature individuals) were part of a much larger aggregation or superpod that I estimated to comprise around 100 individuals. The reason for such a large gathering is unclear, though it may have something to do with reproduction. Some time after this encounter, I came across another large group in the same area, which included a mature bull. Mature male sperm whales spend most of their time in colder waters, visiting tropical and temperate waters for the purpose of mating. The cloud of dark substance in the foreground is defecation from one of the whales, something which sperm whales seem to do often when they are at the surface.
    superpod-sperm-whales-sri-lanka-miri...tif
  • A view of the underside of an adult female sperm whale's fluke as it swims past. This whale and the others visible in the background were part of a superpod of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) comprising up to 100 individuals.
    sperm-whale-fluke-underside-physeter...tif
  • This was part of a large gathering of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) comprising hundreds, perhaps thousands of individual whales that spanned horizon to horizon for nearly three days. This was likely a meeting of multiple social units in the same clan. Pictured here is one particularly large social cluster.  This image is licensed on an exclusive basis to BBC through 29 October 2021.
    sperm-whale-large-aggregation-201402...tif
  • Modern scrimshaw, sperm whale teeth, Kingdom of Tonga.
    modern-scrimshaw-sperm-whale-teeth-t...tif
  • Jawbone (measuring 16 feet) and teeth of a male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), on display at the Nantucket Whaling Museum. This jawbone was brought back to Nantucket by Captain William Cash of the whaling ship Islander in 1865.
    sperm-whale-jaw-nantucket-whaling-mu...tif
  • Four sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) rubbing their heads together while socializing, forming an X-pattern. This type of tactile social interaction among sperm whales is common, and is accompanied by a lot of sound made by the whales.
    four-sperm-whales-socializing-x-patt...tif
  • Close-up view of the penis of a sperm whale male fetus specimen, measuring 60cm to 70cm, that was found in the teaching collection of a natural history museum. The origin of the specimen is unknown.
    sperm-whale-fetus-penis-201606-2312.tif
  • An adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) turned upside-down while frolicking at the ocean surface after coming up from a long foraging dive. Photographed above a deep trench in Ogasawara, Japan.
    sperm-whale-frolicking-upside-down-j...tif
  • Close-up view of developing pectoral fin in prenatal sperm whale fetus. The developing bone structure of the pectoral fin is already clearly visible, even though the fetus is only 60-cm to 70cm in length, compared to a generally accepted birth size of 450cm. The origin of this specimen is not known. It was found among other preserved specimens in the teaching collection of a natural history museum.
    sperm-whale-fetus-pectoral-fin-20160...tif
  • A preserved sperm whale fetus (male), measuring 60cm to 70cm. Sperm whales are generally thought to be born at a length of around 450cm. Though only a fraction of estimated birth size, this fetus is fully formed. The origin of this specimen is unknown, though it likely originated from a necropsy performed during the industrial whaling period. This fetus was found among other preserved animals in the teaching collection of a natural history museum.
    sperm-whale-fetus-201606-2297.tif
  • Skeleton of female sperm whale, dubbed Jubilee, on display at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore. This 10.6m adult whale was found off Jurong Island in July 2015, with a wound in the caudal area that may have been caused by a ship propellor. During the necropsy, plastics were also found in her gastrointestinal system.
    lkcnhm-sperm-whale-201604.tif
  • A tiny sperm whale calf, less than two meters long, which was allowed to play by itself. The family was nearby, foraging for food. This little female swam over, played for a while, at one point placing her fluke on my head, then went back to her family. Though texts state that sperm whales are born at 4.5 meters, this one was only slightly longer than I was with my freediving fins, meaning slightly more than two meters in length. The developing mammary slits are visible in this image, as are the white streaks on her abdomen, which can be used to identify individual whales.
    sperm-whale-calf-female-201402-2664.tif
  • Three sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) lined up in formation while resting between foraging dives
    sperm-whales-formation-while-resting...tif
  • Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) defecating while engaged in a massive social gathering comprising hundreds, perhaps thousands, of individuals. Defecation like this is common in sperm whale social gatherings, as is shedding of skin as seen here.
    sperm-whales-defecating-socializing-...tif
  • A friendly family of sperm whales, comprising several adult females and three juveniles. The prominent white stripes on the ventral surface of the adult in the forefront made it relatively easy to distinguish this family unit from the many dozens of others gathered in the area for socialization. Note the pectoral fin of the adult in the forefront. The bone structure, resembling the bones in a human hand, is clearly visible.
    sperm-whale-family-unit-sri-lanka-20...tif
  • This male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) has a series of parallel scars, which are thought to be from deep tooth rakes inflicted by other males during confrontations. The scars are present on the left and right sides of the whale, as well as on the ventral surface. Note also the whitened front of the whale, which is thought by some also to result from accumulated scarring due to inter-male confrontations. Photographed in Ogasawara (Bonin Islands), Japan.
    male-sperm-whale-parallel-scars-from...tif
  • Aggregation of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) engaged in social activity. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, gathered in all directions as far as the eye could see. Most were adult females, though there were some large males present, as well as juveniles. The whales fed intermittently, but also spent substantial time at the surface and in shallow water socializing.
    large-aggregation-sperm-whales-socia...tif
  • Baby sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) playing at the ocean surface
    sperm-whale-calf-playing-dominica-20...tif
  • Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) social unit engaged in social activity, with one whale separated from the group while passing gas. Flatulence is common when sperm whales socialize near the ocean surface.
    sperm-whale-flatulence-socializing-d...tif
  • Plastic garbage found in the gastrointestinal system of 10.6m female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) found off Jurong Island, Singapore in July 2015. This whale also had injuries in the caudal area that may have been caused by a ship propellor. This plastic and the skeleton of the sperm whale is on display at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore.
    plastic-trash-sperm-whale-singapore-...tif
  • Male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) with lots of scars on his head and forehead, many of which appeared to be parallel scars from encounters with other male sperm whales. The accumulated scars may have contributed to the whitened appeared of the whale's forehead.
    sperm-whale-male-with-whitened-foreh...tif
  • Skeleton of a 46-foot male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Nantucket Historical Museum. This whale stranded on New Year's day 1998.
    sperm-whale-skeleton-nantucket-whali...tif
  • Male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) with lots of scars on his head and forehead, many of which appeared to be parallel scars from encounters with other male sperm whales. The accumulated scars may have contributed to the whitened appeared of the whale's forehead.
    sperm-whale-male-with-white-head-and...tif
  • Inquisitive sperm whale calf (Physeter macrocephalus) approaching with mouth open and buzzing me with bio-sonar. This calf was part of a family unit that had three juvenile whales in it. The family unit was one of many that gathered for a large social event comprising hundreds, perhaps thousands of sperm whales. This image is licensed on an exclusive basis to BBC through 29 October 2021.
    sperm-whale-family-unit-juvenile-mou...tif
  • Skeleton of a 46-foot  male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) suspended from the ceiling of Gosnell Hall in the Nantucket Historical Museum. This whale stranded on New Year's day 1998. The whaling boat beneath the whale is an authentic whaling boat from nearby New Bedford. The whaling tools and implements displayed on the wall are also authentic.
    sperm-whale-skeleton-whaling-boat-na...tif
  • Four sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) hanging head down in the water, engaged in social interaction. Sperm whales are tactile, often making body contact with other whales, as shown here. They also produce a lot of sound during social interaction like this. Photo taken in Roseau, Dominica.
    four-sperm-whales-socializing-hangin...tif
  • Male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) with lots of scars on his head and forehead, many of which appeared to be parallel scars from encounters with other male sperm whales.
    male-sperm-whale-whitened-forehead-m...tif
  • I watched this adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) come up from deep water in the Ogasawara islands of Japan, carrying several fragments of Architeuthis giant squid in her mouth. A juvenile sperm whale that was part of her family group joined the adult as she surfaced, and the two swam together. The adult spit out or dropped one piece of giant squid, as shown in this photograph. When I retrieved the giant squid fragment, it was ice cold.
    sperm-whale-with-architeuthis-giant-...tif
  • My friend Daya holding a small squid arm that I recovered from a group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) that had been foraging for food. The pieces of squid brought up by sperm whales in this area all seem to indicate relatively small prey.
    small-squid-arm-recovered-from-sperm...tif
  • An inquisitive juvenile sperm whale swimming at the surface, accompanied by a little pilot fish
    juvenile-sperm-whale-physeter-macroc...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • Spermaceti in bottles, on display at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, with a painting depicting Captain Ahab of the Pequod in Melville's Moby Dick visible in the background. This spermaceti was taken from a 46-foot male sperm whale that stranded on New Year's day 1998 in Nantucket. Spermaceti was a highly prized substance and was the primary reason for the proliferation of whaling in Nantucket.
    spermaceti-nantucket-whaling-museum-...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale executing a playful flick of her fluke just before diving down to deep water, perhaps to forage for food. This whale was part of a larger group of 15 to 20 whales that were traveling together across a wide range, spening a lot of time at the surface between dives. The whale's powerful caudal area is clearly visible in this image, as are the unique markings on her abdominal region. These markings make it possible to identify individual whales.
    sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-o...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • This sperm whale has just come up to breathe, after foraging for prey in deep water. There is a small piece of squid visible, attached to the whale's top left jaw. It is very likely a piece of Architeuthis giant squid, which seem to be relatively common in the deep waters adjacent to the Ogasawara island chain of Japan. There are also scars made by suction cups of squid feeding tentacles visible on the forehead of the whale. Those suction cups are lined with finely serrated rings of teeth made of chitin.
    sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-a...tif
  • Sperm whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling of Gosnell Hall in the Nantucket Whaling Museum. This 46-foot whale stranded on New Year's day 1998. Note the collection of harpoons hanging on the wall below and adjacent to the skeleton.
    sperm-whale-skeleton-nantucket-whali...tif
  • Four sperm whales hanging out just under the surface of the sea. This image won first place in the Under Water Category of the 2010 Veolia Environnement Photographer of the Year contest (organised by BBC Wildlife Magazine and the Natural History Musuem, London)
    four-sperm-whales-in-unique-formatio...tif
  • Inquisitive adult female sperm whale in the Indian Ocean, swimming underneath me to check me out using sonar. Sperm whales seem to swim upside-down frequently when they use sonar to investigate objects above them. Perhaps this position gives them optimal results. Notice that the sperm whale has closed her eyes.
    sperm-whale-swimming-upside-down-in-...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale playing at the surface. After taking a few breaths, the whale dropped below the ocean surface, rolled around a bit, and used its sonar to check me out.
    adult-female-sperm-whale-playing_201...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale playing at the surface. After taking a few breaths, the whale dropped below the ocean surface, rolled around a bit, and used its sonar to check me out.
    sperm-whale-at-ocean-surface_201104_...tif
  • Inquisitive adult female sperm whale in the Indian Ocean, swimming underneath me to check me out using sonar. Sperm whales seem to swim upside-down frequently when they use sonar to investigate objects above them. Perhaps this position gives them optimal results.
    sperm-whale-swimming-upside-down-in-...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale coming up to the surface to breathe between dives to forage for food. I came across this whale and several other adult females in her family unit in the Indian Ocean.
    sperm-whale-reflection-ocean-surface...tif
  • Viewed from the top-down, the small hole near the top of this sperm whale's skull for the animal's left nasal passage is clearly visible. Sperm whales have a single blowhole on its left side. The nasal passage connected to its blowhole passes through this hole.
    top-view-sperm-whale-skull-nasal-pas...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale coming up to the surface to breathe between dives to forage for food. I came across this whale and several other adult females in her family unit in the Indian Ocean.
    sperm-whale-reflection-ocean-surface...tif
  • Jagging wheels, or pie crimpers, made of sperm whale teeth were ostensibly for cutting and decorating pastries, but they may have been valued primarily for their design and aesthetic appeal. This particular jagging wheel is one of many on display at the Nantucket Whaling Museum.
    sperm-whale-tooth-scrimshaw-jagging-...tif
  • An inquisitive female sperm whale that spent considerable time at and near the ocean surface spyhopping and investigating my boat and people in the water
    sperm-whale-spyhop-ogasawara-201010-...tif
  • This was my first encounter with a sperm whale, a curious juvenile that pinged me with sonar and placed me on its head, then took one of my fins in its mouth. This whale had at some point investigated a longline, as it had a hook embedded in the crease of its jaw on the right side of its body, with fishing line trailing far back behind its fluke. I dived down to take a look at the hook, but the wound had long since healed over, making it impossible to attempt to remove the hook. This image is a film scan. This photograph received the Grand Prize at The Blue Earth Underwater Photo Contest in Japan in 2001.
    sperm-whale-with-longline-hook-in-mo...tif
  • Three large sperm whale teeth, illustrating preparation for scrimshaw. The tooth on the left is raw and unpolished. The middle tooth has been polished, perhaps with shark skin or some similar textured substance. The tooth on the left is in the process of being engraved with scrimshaw.
    scrimshaw-teeth-sperm-whales-nantuck...tif
  • Photographer Douglas Seifert demonstrating the stickiness of the suction rings of an Architeuthis giant squid feeding arm. The squid's suction rings are lined with sharp, serrated teeth made of chitin, which help the animals to grasp and cling to prey. In this photograph, the suction rings are clinging to the glass of Douglas's scuba diving mask. I retrieved this 351-centimeter long Architeuthis arm fragment after seeing a sperm whale breach. Photographed in Ogasawara, Japan.
    douglas-seifert-architeuthis-giant-s...tif
  • Female sperm whale diving. This particular individual had many white patches (unique pattern of birthmarks) on her abdomen and a bit on her dorsal surface, making her easy to identify. She was quite shy, and dived quickly. Note the stream of bubbles trailing from her dorsal fin as she dives.
    sperm-whale-diving-trailing-bubbles_...tif
  • A female sperm whale with a calf. Sperm whales engage in communal care for their young, including communal nursing, so it is not possible to determine whether or not this adult female is the calf's mother by observing them.
    sperm-whale-mother-and-baby-201001-2...tif
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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