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  • An orange-red thorny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix) making its way across the muck and rubble substrate of Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
    red-thorny-seahorse-hippocampus-hist...tif
  • Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) looking out to sea from a comfortable perch on a tree branch. Photographed in Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan.
    stellers-sea-eagle-haliaeetus-pelagi...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Manta ray (Mobula sp.) swimming along the ocean surface
    juvenile-manta-ray-indian-ocean-2011...tif
  • This is a colony of Pavona decussata leaf coral, photographed one day prior to spawning.
    pavona-decussata-leaf-coral-japan-20...tif
  • Depicted here is spawning of a leaf coral (Pavona decussata) formation. Spawning was synchronized over a large area with many coral colonies.
    pavona-decussata-leaf-coral-spawning...tif
  • Close-up of a sunfish (Mola mola). This individual was floating on the ocean surface, relaxed and calm. The fish approached the boat numerous times, allowing me on one occasion to remove one of the copepod parasites visible in this photograph. When I entered the water and floated nearby, the fish bumped directly into me, resulting in this close encounter.
    mola-mola-sunfish-close-encounter-so...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
  • 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
  • Female polar bear (Ursus maritimus) with a single young cub, only a few months old. Polar bears usually have two cubs. It is possible that this female lost a cub. Photographed in northern Svalbard.
    polar-bear-female-and-cub-svalbard-u...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
  • Modern scrimshaw, sperm whale teeth, Kingdom of Tonga.
    modern-scrimshaw-sperm-whale-teeth-t...tif
  • Pandemonium and commotion among a group of socializing sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)
    sperm-whale-social-group-physeter-ma...tif
  • This is a reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi), photographed at Kumejima island in Okinawa, Japan. Beneath the manta is a twinspot snapper (Lutjanus bohar).
    mobula-alfredi-reef-manta-ray-kumeji...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
  • 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
  • Close encounter with a friendly sunfish (Mola mola) that was floating on the ocean surface, relaxed and calm. The fish approached the boat numerous times, allowing me on one occasion to remove one of the many copepod parasites visible in this photograph. Mola mola are known to host multiple species of parasites, including copepods and nematodes. The fish is floating on one side, with its mouth open, facing the camera.
    sunfish-mola-mouth-open-with-parasit...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) feeding on the remains of a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), with a seagull waiting for its turn. Multiple bears visited this carcass over many days.This bear was wearing a large radio tracking collar, not visible from this angle.
    polar-bear-foraging-beluga-whale-car...tif
  • A very young polar bear cub (Ursus maritimus), probably only a few months old, standing up to take a look around. This cub was alone with its mother. Given that polar bears generally have two cubs, it is possible that something happened to this cub’s sibling. Photographed in Svalbard.
    polar-bear-cub-ursus-maritimus-svalb...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
  • The seahorse extended its jaws forward and opened the area of its face just below its eyes and jawline several times, perhaps to vent water through its mouth and jaw structure.
    thorny-seahorse-hippocampus-histrix-...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
  • 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
  • Bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) coming together in deep water early in the morning as part of their preparation for group spawning involving thousands of fish. Their faces turn pale prior to commencing group spawning. Photographed in Palau.
    bumphead-parrotfish-bolbometopon-mur...tif
  • Bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) spawning aggregation, early morning in deep water, with groups of fish coalescing to release sperm and eggs into the current. Photographed in Palau.
    bumphead-parrotfish-spawning-aggrega...tif
  • Spawning aggregation of bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) gathering by the thousands in the early morning to release massive clouds of sperm and eggs into the water. Photographed in Palau.
    spawning-aggregation-bumphead-parrot...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
  • Healthy cabbage coral (Turbinaria reniformis) formation surrounded by basslets, damsels and other tropical reef fish. Photographed at about 15 meters depth on a dive site near Normanby Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea that we named Julian's Cabbage Patch because there was so much cabbage coral.
    cabbage-coral-turbinaria-reniformis-...tif
  • Rear view of a manta ray swimming in blue water in along the ocean surface skimming for food, with both wings in the up position
    rear-view-juvenile-manta-ray-201104-...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale swimming upside down near the surface. The whale's mammary glands are clearly visible adjacent to the genital slit.
    female-sperm-whale-mammary-slits-vis...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
  • 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
  • Sperm whales seem to pass gas and defecate a lot when they are at the surface. This is something I have observed consistently across different sperm whale populations. This is the largest quantity of excrement that I've seen from a sperm whale.
    sperm-whale-poop_201104_0724.tif
  • Group of sperm whales at the ocean surface, just before diving down
    sperm-whale-social-group-diving-2010...tif
  • Three sperm whales, the top one clearly a male, with protruding penis visible. Note also the white markings on the abdomen, which can be used to identify individual whales.
    three-sperm-whales-in-blue-water-201...tif
  • This is a close-up view of leaf coral (Pavona decussata) spawning, with streams of sperm being sent into the water column in synchrony with gametes from other nearby colonies of the hard coral.
    pavona-deccusata-leaf-coral-spawning...tif
  • Three sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) lined up in formation while resting between foraging dives
    sperm-whales-formation-while-resting...tif
  • Juvenile Japanese angel shark (Squatina japonica), measuring about 20cm in length
    japanese-angel-shark-juvenile-squati...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
  • A Japanese angelshark (Squatina japonica) engaged in ambush predation, leaping out of the sand to grab a small silver-stripe round herring (Spratelloides gracilis). The sand thrown up by the shark underscores the speed and force of the strike.
    japanese-angelshark-ambush-predation...tif
  • A Japanese angelshark (Squatina japonica) engaged in ambush predation, leaping out of the sand to grab a small silver-stripe round herring (Spratelloides gracilis). The shark’s extended jaws are clearly visible. The speed and force of the shark’s ambush sends not only sand into the water column, but also bottom-dwelling marine life, such as the multiple mid-water bristleworms seen here.
    japanese-angelshark-squatina-japonic...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) engaged in a massive spawning aggregation, with one group of fish pictured here rising above the mass to spawn. There is one female at the center of the mass, with others being male fish. This takes place early in the morning.
    bumphead-parrotfish-spawning-aggrega...tif
  • Portrait of sperm whale's enlarged forehead, which contains the spermaceti that was the reason for large-scale hunting of these animals. This individual's name is Scar, an unusually friendly male sperm whale that was about ten years old at this encounter. This image received a Highly Commended recognition in the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife category at the 2010 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (organised by BBC Wildlife Magazine and the Natural History Museum London)
    scar-male-sperm-whale-dominica-20100...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 very young polar bear cub (Ursus maritimus), probably only a few months old, standing up to take a look around. This cub was alone with its mother. Given that polar bears generally have two cubs, it is possible that something happened to this cub’s sibling. Photographed in Svalbard.
    polar-bear-cub-ursus-maritimus-svalb...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
  • 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
  • This thorny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix) changed its color from yellow to match the colour of the background fan over the course of several weeks.
    thorny-seahorse-hippocampus-histrix-...tif
  • Sperm whale tooth scrimshaw on display at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, with the inscription "The Susan on her homeward bound passage." This tooth is one of a well-known series of at least 35 engraved sperm-whale teeth known as Susan's Teeth, engraved by Frederick Myer. Frederick is the earliest known American scrimshaw artist to sign and date his work. This tooth is dated 22 August 1829. Behind this tooth is the Journal of the Whaleship Susan kept by Captain Reuben Russel from 12 December 1841 to 28 May 1846.
    sperm-whale-tooth-scrimshaw-voyage-o...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) gathering in shallow water just after sunrise, in preparation for group spawning involving thousands of fish. The fish pictured here are in the transitional time between coming together and the commencement of spawning. Some of the fish have pale faces, which signals their readiness to spawn, while others have yet to take on the pale hue. An outgoing current carrying a lot of suspended particles resulted in low visibility on this day. Photographed in Palau.
    bumphead-parrotfish-spawning-aggrega...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
  • A small group of humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) that has moved away from the main mass of thousands of fish in order to spawn. This happens repeatedly during mass spawning, with groups of fish swimming away and spawning in rapid succession, leaving the water milky-white and murky. Photographed in Palau.
    bolbometopon-muricatum-bumphead-parr...tif
  • An inquisitive juvenile sperm whale swimming at the surface, accompanied by a little pilot fish
    juvenile-sperm-whale-physeter-macroc...tif
  • Large school of humphead parrotfish patrolling the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea, very early in the morning. There were several hundred fish in the school.
    school-of-humphead-parrotfish-Bolbom...tif
  • Manta ray (Mobula sp.) swimming along the ocean surface skimming for food, with both wings in the down position
    manta-ray-juvenile-ocean-surface-201...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
  • 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
  • A mature bull sperm whale, which was significantly larger in size than the females and juveniles, perhaps approaching 20 meters in length. As soon as the large male announced its arrival in the area with a series of loud clangs, the other whales swam toward it to socialize. Mature males spend more time in higher latitudes in the northern hemisphere and lower latitudes in the southern, so in-water encounters with them are relatively infrequent.
    large-mature-bull-sperm-whale-with-j...tif
  • Large social group of sperm whales playing at the surface. These sperm whale were making a lot of sound, primarily repetitive clicking of their signature coda
    sperm-whale-social-group-playing-in-...tif
  • This is a colony of leaf coral (Pavona decussata) spawning, with streams of sperm being sent into the water column in synchrony with gametes from other nearby colonies of the hard coral.
    pavona-deccusata-leaf-coral-spawning...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
  • Portrait of a mature female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
    sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-d...tif
  • This is an ocean sunfish (Mola mola), around 1.5m in length, basking on the ocean surface near land. One hypothesis concerning why these fish engage in such behavior is that they seek the help of ocean-going birds to remove parasites. Sunfish are host to many species of parasites, including copepods and nematodes.
    mola-mola-ocean-surface-pest-removal...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
  • A Japanese angelshark (Squatina japonica) engaged in ambush predation, leaping out of the sand to grab a small silver-stripe round herring (Spratelloides gracilis). The cloud of sand thrown up by the shark underscores the speed and force of the strike.
    japanese-angelshark-squatina-japonic...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) gathering at dawn in preparation for a spawning aggregation. The heads of some individuals have turned white, indicating that they are ready for spawning activity. The majority of fish, however, are not quite ready. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of fish gather and mill around until there is consensus reached. Then all the fish rush out to deeper water for group spawning.
    bumphead-parrotfish-gathering-before...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 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
  • 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
  • Adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) cruising at the ocean surface on a sunny day
    sperm-whale-adult-female-physeter-ma...tif
  • Polar bear cub (Ursus maritimus) walking on ice in northern Svalbard. This cub was with its mother, playing and groaning loudly to get its mother’s attention.
    polar-bear-cub-ursus-maritimus-svalb...tif
  • Polar bear cub (Ursus maritimus) playing on ice in northern Svalbard.
    polar-bear-cub-on-ice-svalbard-ursus...tif
  • Female olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) recovering at the surface after being cut free from entanglement in a very large ghost fishing net in the Indian Ocean. After we cut the lines and released her, she swam toward me, letting me stroke her shell as she regained her composure. Her swimming was weak, particularly her rear left flipper, which had been the most entangled part of her body. She was eventually able to dive beyond visible depth.
    olive-ridley-turtle-after-being-free...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
  • 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
  • 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
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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