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  • 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 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 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
  • 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
  • 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
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