What is a “creak”?

A fast buzz of clicks used to close in on prey

Do sperm whales stun their prey with loud clicks?

No: they chase prey and make their clicks quieter

Short click patterns used to communicate

How do sperm whales rest?

Hanging upright near the surface

Where does ambergris form?

At the end of the gut, around squid beaks

Sperm Whale

Physeter macrocephalus

The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed whale: adult males reach about 16 m and 41 t, females about 11–12 m. It hunts squid and fish in the deep ocean, diving for about 45 minutes at a time and finding prey with powerful sonar clicks made in its giant, box-shaped head. Hunted for its oil for nearly two centuries, it lives in all deep oceans and is listed as Vulnerable.

Also known as Cachalot, Physeter catodon (older scientific name)

Sperm whale abilities

236 dB re 1 µPa: the loudest click measured
Sperm whales fire extremely powerful clicks from their giant nose: up to 236 dB re 1 µPa, measured straight in front of the whale.
- Each click lasts only about 100 µs (a ten-thousandth of a second) and is beamed forward like a torch beam, so it is loudest straight ahead.
- Underwater decibels use a different starting point from decibels in air, and sound travels differently in water. So 236 dB in the sea is not the same as 236 dB at a concert: the numbers can't be compared directly.
- The click is made by pushing air past “phonic lips” in the nose, as dolphins do. It works even deep down, when the air in the nose is squeezed to less than 2% of its volume at the surface.
Sources [3, 11]
18 creaks per hunting dive
In the dark deep, sperm whales hunt by echolocation. Regular clicks scan far ahead, then a fast buzz of clicks, a “creak”, homes in on a squid.
- Search clicks come every 0.5–2 s. The echoes tell the whale what is ahead and how far away it is.
- On average a whale descends 392 m between its first click and its first creak, so the clicks work as long-range sonar.
- 99.8% of creaks happen in the deepest half of a dive, where the hunting is. A typical dive has about 18 of them.
Clicking during one dive about 45 min
Clicking: 81% of the dive
Average for 37 tagged whales in the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Ligurian Sea.
Sources [7, 12]
7 vocal clans found in the Pacific
Sperm whales talk in codas: short, rhythmic patterns of clicks. Families from different clans use different coda dialects.
- Codas are click patterns used in social moments, mostly by the females and young of a family unit.
- A 2022 study sorted 23,429 codas from 23 Pacific sites into seven clans. Some codas work like a badge that shows which clan a whale belongs to.
- In 2024, Project CETI researchers proposed that codas are built from smaller features (rhythm, tempo, “rubato” and “ornamentation”) that combine like a sound alphabet. What any coda means is still unknown.
Sources [13, 14, 15, 16]
45 min typical hunting dive
A sperm whale spends most of its life on long, deep dives, holding one breath for about 45 minutes and hunting hundreds of metres below the surface.
- Tags show typical dives of 30–45 min to 400–1,200 m, followed by a break of about 9–10 min at the surface.
- One radio-tagged whale made 93 deep dives averaging 990 m. The deepest reached 1,330 m and the longest lasted 65 min.
- Over several weeks in the Gulf of California, tagged whales occasionally dived as deep as 1,500 m.
Average deepest dive, by region
Atlantic985 m
Ligurian Sea827 m
Gulf of Mexico644 m
Average of each tagged whale's deepest dive (37 whales).
Sources [7, 10, 17, 18]
1/3 of the body is head
X-ray the head: most of it is nose. The spermaceti organ and the junk below it form a giant sound machine, with the brain tucked in behind.
- The spermaceti organ is a huge sac of oil that helps focus sound. For body size, it is far bigger than the matching part of a dolphin's nose.
- Males have a bigger spermaceti organ than females. One idea is that big males use their clicks to impress, but what the giant nose is for, beyond sound, is still debated.
- Behind the nose sits a brain of almost 8 kg. Teeth grow only in the lower jaw: 20–26 on each side.
Sources [1, 2, 4]
90° head up or head downStill debated
Sperm whales rest hanging upright just under the surface, head up or head down, often in groups. Scientists think this is how they sleep.
- The upright position is thought to keep resting whales away from the waves without the cost of swimming deeper.
- While resting they let out bubbles. A 2026 study of 42 tagged whales in Norway suggests this keeps them balanced, neither floating up nor sinking.
- Tags also record quiet dives with very little movement, probably for rest. Resting whales are easy to run into, so boats should keep well clear.
Sources [1, 17, 19]
295 km travelled by one whale in 4.6 days
Wide tail flukes drive the sperm whale on long, steady journeys between hunting grounds, from warm seas to the edge of the polar ice.
- One radio-tagged 12 m whale travelled 295 km in 4.6 days, at an average of 2.6 km/h, diving all the way.
- Adult males make long journeys into cooler waters. Females and young stay in warm waters all year.
- Sperm whales range from the equator to the edge of the pack ice. Recorders off east Antarctica pick them up mostly when the ice clears.
Sources [1, 10, 20]

Tap a pin on the model or a part below.

1/3 of the body length
- The huge, box-shaped head makes up about a third of the whole body length.
- Most of it is nose: the sperm whale has the largest nose of any animal.
- This nose is a sound machine. It makes the clicks the whale uses to hunt and to talk.
Sources [1, 2, 3]
- A giant sac of oil inside the head that helps focus sound. Below it lies the junk, another part of the same sound-making nose.
- For its body size, it is far bigger than the matching part of a dolphin's nose, and it is bigger in males than in females.
- Despite the name, spermaceti has nothing to do with sperm. Whalers once used it in oil lamps, lubricants and candles.
Sources [1, 2, 3]
almost 8 kg brain mass
- At almost 8 kg, it is the heaviest brain of any living animal.
- Big male killer whales can have brains just as heavy, so the two share the record.
- The cerebellum (the back part of the brain) is only about 7% of the sperm whale's brain, but almost 14% in killer whales.
Sources [4, 5]
20–26 teeth on each side of the lower jaw
- The long, narrow lower jaw holds 20–26 big, cone-shaped teeth on each side.
- Teeth in the upper jaw rarely break through the gums, so almost all the working teeth are in the lower jaw.
- Each tooth can weigh about 1 kg.
Sources [1, 6]
9 min breathing at the surface between dives
- The single blowhole sits at the front of the head, set to the left, so the blow angles forward.
- After a typical 45-minute dive, a sperm whale breathes at the surface for about 9 minutes before diving again.
- Sperm whales often lie still at the surface, typically for up to 10 minutes. That is when ships can hit them.
Sources [1, 7]
- Sperm whales hunt in the dark depths, where there is little or no sunlight, so sound matters more than sight.
- They start clicking soon after diving and use the echoes, not their eyes, to find prey hundreds of metres below.
Sources [6, 7]
3–3.5% of body weight eaten per day
- Sperm whales eat mostly deep-sea squid, including giant squid, plus sharks, skates and fish.
- Every day a sperm whale eats about 3–3.5% of its body weight: for a 14 t female, that is roughly 420–490 kg of food.
- Hard squid beaks can't be digested. Most are brought back up, but some stay in the gut, where ambergris can slowly form around them.
Sources [1, 6, 8]
about 4 m long at birth
- A single calf is born after 14–16 months of pregnancy. It is about 4 m long and weighs about 1,000 kg.
- Calves start eating solid food before they are one, but keep drinking milk for several years.
- While the mother dives, other members of the family stay with the calf at the surface, like babysitters.
Sources [1, 6, 9]
2.6 km/h average speed of one tagged whale
- The wide tail flukes drive the whale along with slow, steady beats.
- One radio-tagged 12 m whale covered 295 km in 4.6 days, diving all the way, at an average of 2.6 km/h.
Sources [10]

Real sperm whales

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Some of them can repaint the 3D model.

Mother and calfA calf is about 4 m long and about 1,000 kg at birth, and swims close beside its mother.Born after 14–16 months · drinks milk for several years · babysat by the family while its mother divesMother and calf off Mauritius. The small fish on the calf are remoras.. Photo: Gabriel Barathieu, CC BY-SA 2.0
Adult femaleDark grey, wrinkly skin. About 11–12 m long and about 14 t, with a smaller head than a big male's.Spends her life in a family unit in warm waters · mature at about 9 yearsA family group off Mauritius. Photo: Gabriel Barathieu, CC BY-SA 2.0
Adult maleMuch bigger: up to about 16 m and 41 t, with an even larger, squarer head. Males keep growing into their 30s.Leaves the family as a youngster and roams into cooler waters · Kaikōura, New Zealand, is a well-studied male feeding areaFlukes up for a deep dive off Kaikōura, New Zealand, a male feeding area. Photo: Whale Watch Kaikoura / Destination Kaikōura, CC BY 4.0
Adult maleMuch bigger: up to about 16 m and 41 t, with an even larger, squarer head. Males keep growing into their 30s.Leaves the family as a youngster and roams into cooler waters · Kaikōura, New Zealand, is a well-studied male feeding areaResting at the surface off Kaikoura. Photo: Marion & Christoph Aistleitner, CC0
The blow angles forward from the blowhole at the front of the headPhoto: Commander John Bortniak, NOAA Corps, Public domain
Two sperm whales off São Miguel, AzoresPhoto: Jules Verne Times Two, CC BY-SA 4.0
Whale watching in the Azores: licensed boats keep their distancePhoto: Jules Verne Times Two, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sperm whale by the numbers

Measured by scientists at sea with tags, underwater recorders and long-term studies of known whales.

Length (adult male): up to 16 m; Females grow to about 11–12 m.⁠[1]; Male (max)15.8 mFemale (max)12.2 m
Weight (adult male): about 41 t; Females weigh about 14 t (NOAA gives 45 and 15 US tons).; Male41 tFemale14 t; A male weighs about as much as 3 females⁠[1]
Brain: almost 8 kg; The heaviest brain of any living animal, matched only by big male killer whales.⁠[4, 5]
Teeth: 40–52; 20–26 on each side of the lower jaw, each up to about 1 kg.⁠[1, 6]
Hunting dive: 45 min; Average dive, then about 9 min at the surface.; Diving for 83% of each dive cycle⁠[7]
Hunting depth: 400–1,200 m; Usual depths in tag studies; occasionally down to about 1,500 m.⁠[17, 18]
Loudest click: 236 dB re 1 µPa; Measured head-on, under water. Not comparable with decibels in air.⁠[11]
Calf at birth: about 4 m; About 1,000 kg, after 14–16 months of pregnancy.⁠[1, 6]
Lifespan: up to 60 years; Females have a calf only every 5–7 years.⁠[1]
World population: about 736,000; Global estimate for 1993, after two big whaling eras.⁠[26]

Sperm whale myths and facts

Some famous sperm whale “facts” are true, some are old ideas and some are still waiting for proof.

0 of 8 answered

“Sperm whales stun their prey with super-loud clicks.”
“Sperm whales have the biggest brain of any animal.”
“Spermaceti is whale sperm.”
“Sperm whales rest hanging upright in the water.”
“Ambergris is whale vomit.”
“A sperm whale once sank a whaling ship.”
“Sperm whales dive 3 km deep and stay down for 2 hours.”
“Scientists have decoded a sperm whale alphabet.”

Sperm whale records

Superlatives backed by measurements.

Heaviest brain
almost 8 kg
Sperm whale (shared with big male killer whales)
The heaviest brain of any living animal.⁠[4, 5]
Largest toothed predator
about 16 m
Adult male sperm whale
The largest of all toothed whales, at about 41 t.⁠[1]
Largest nose
1/3 of the body
Sperm whale
The head, mostly nose, is about a third of the whale's length.⁠[2, 1]
Loudest click measured
236 dB re 1 µPa
Sperm whale
Recorded head-on. An underwater measure that can't be compared directly with air.⁠[11]
Longest pregnancy among whales
14–16 months
Sperm whale (and killer whale)
Then the mother nurses her calf for several years.⁠[5, 1]
Largest lump of ambergris
455 kg
A sperm whale
The biggest find in a 2006 review; it sold in 1914 for £23,000.⁠[8]

A day of diving with a sperm whale

A sperm whale's day is a loop: dive, click, hunt, breathe, repeat.

0 min
Down it goes
After breathing at the surface, the whale tips its head down and dives.⁠[7]
First minutes
Clicking starts
On the way down it starts regular clicks, one every 0.5–2 s, scanning far ahead.⁠[12, 7]
About 400 m down
First creak
On average it has descended 392 m from its first click when it makes its first creak to close in on prey.⁠[7]
Bottom of the dive
Hunting time
99.8% of creaks happen in the deepest half of the dive. A typical dive has about 18.⁠[12, 7]
About 45 min
Back up
A typical dive lasts about 45 min. Average deepest points were 644–985 m in three ocean regions.⁠[7]
Next 9 min
Breathing break
It breathes at the surface for about 9 min, then dives again.⁠[7, 1]
All day and night
Repeat
Sperm whales spend more than 72% of their time in these dive cycles.⁠[7]
Day vs night
Changing depths
Off the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, whales dived deeper by day (853 m on average) than at night (469 m).⁠[27]
Rest time
Upright rest
Between hunts, whales may hang upright just under the surface, resting and probably asleep.⁠[19]

Sperm whale families and clans

Female sperm whales live in close families for life, and families belong to clans with their own click dialects.

about 12
females in a family unit
Related females and their young travel, hunt and rest together for years.⁠[1, 13]
5–7 years
between calves
Each calf is precious, so the family helps. While mothers dive, other adults stay with the calf at the surface.⁠[1, 9]
7 clans
found in the Pacific
A clan is a group of families sharing a coda dialect. A 2022 study sorted 23,429 codas from 23 Pacific sites into seven clans.⁠[14]
1,000s of km
across one clan's range
Clans live side by side over thousands of kilometres but keep their own dialects. Scientists think the dialects are learned, a kind of culture.⁠[13]
4–21 years
age young males leave home
Young males join “bachelor pods” of similar age. Adult males travel far into cooler waters.⁠[1]

Babysitting was shown by following known families for years off Dominica in the Caribbean.

Saving the sperm whale

Sperm whales were hunted for their oil for almost two centuries. Whaling has stopped, but recovery is slow and new threats have arrived.

IUCN Red List

Vulnerable (VU)

Trend unknown

Vulnerable worldwide. In the US the sperm whale is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.⁠[28, 1]

IUCN Red List (category checked via Wikidata, October 2026)

Threats

Ship strikes
Sperm whales often lie at the surface, typically for up to 10 minutes between dives, in the path of ships. Few strikes are documented, but shipping is increasing.⁠[1]
Fishing gear
Whales can get tangled in lines, pots and gillnets. Some learn to take fish from fishing lines, which raises the risk.⁠[1]
Ocean noise
Noise from human activities can drown out their clicks and drive them away from important areas.⁠[1]
Plastic and debris
Debris in their deep feeding layer can be mistaken for food. In the Mediterranean, one sperm whale died after swallowing large amounts of plastic.⁠[1, 29]
Slow recovery
Whaling peaked in the 1840s and the 1960s. It disrupted families and removed big males, and populations are still recovering slowly.⁠[26]

What’s helping

Whaling stopped1987
Commercial whaling of sperm whales lasted from 1800 until 1987.⁠[1]
Protection at sea
Protecting habitat, reducing bycatch, freeing tangled whales and cutting ship strikes.⁠[1]
Respectful watching
Watch from licensed tour boats that follow local rules. Keep your distance and never approach, touch or swim towards whales: rules and distances vary by country.⁠[24]
Listening research
Long-term studies of known families and underwater recorders show where sperm whales live and how their culture works.⁠[9, 20, 16]

Sperm whale vs blue whale vs orca

Three ocean giants: the biggest toothed whale, the biggest animal and the biggest dolphin.

Sperm whale vs blue whale vs orca (killer whale)
	Sperm whale	Blue whale	Orca (killer whale)
Claim to fame⁠[1, 30, 31]	Largest toothed whale	Largest animal on Earth	Largest member of the dolphin family
Maximum length⁠[1, 30, 31]	about 16 m (males)	about 33.5 m	about 9.8 m
Maximum weight⁠[1, 30, 31]	about 41 t (males)	about 150 t	about 10 t
Lifespan⁠[1, 30, 31]	up to 60 years	about 80–90 years	30–90 years
Brain⁠[4, 5]	almost 8 kg, the heaviest	not compared here	big males match the sperm whale
Main threats⁠[1, 30, 31]	Ship strikes, fishing gear, noise, debris	Fishing gear, noise, ship strikes	Pollution, boat noise, fishing gear, food shortages, oil spills
IUCN status⁠[28, 32]	Vulnerable	Endangered	Data Deficient

US tons and feet from NOAA converted to tonnes and metres. Orca threats and status differ a lot between populations.

Sperm whale quiz

12 questions. Every answer is somewhere on this page.

Question 1 of 12Score 0

How long can an adult male sperm whale grow?

Sperm Whale field notes

Diet, food web, safety and badges from the Snappit field guide.

Diet & Feeding

These giant hunters mostly eat big squid and fish found in the deep, dark parts of the ocean.

Primary Foods

Giant Squid
Colossal Squid
Deep-sea Fish
Octopuses
Foraging Method: Pursuit

Ecological connections

Giant SquidHunts
Giant squid are among the deep-sea squid that sperm whales eat.
Colossal SquidHunts
Sperm whales may also hunt colossal squid in the deep sea.
Killer WhaleEaten by
Orcas sometimes prey on Sperm Whale calves or vulnerable adults.

Safety

Danger 2/5 · Low

Sperm whales are not dangerous when watched responsibly. Go with a licensed tour that follows local rules, keep your distance, and never approach, touch or swim towards whales.

Traits

Collections

Mammals

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Physeteridae
Genus: Physeter

Sources for these sperm whale facts

32 studies and references · checked Oct 16, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify Sperm Whale?

Compare ears, muzzle, tail, feet and coat markings. Size is hard to judge without something nearby for scale, and young mammals may not have adult coloring yet. Mammal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

How long is Sperm Whale?

1100-1600 cm

How much does Sperm Whale weigh?

14000-41000 kg

How long does Sperm Whale live?

up to 60 years

What does Sperm Whale eat?

These giant hunters mostly eat big squid and fish found in the deep, dark parts of the ocean.

Where is Sperm Whale usually found?

Deep ocean waters

How does Sperm Whale hunt?

Pursuit

How many babies does Sperm Whale usually have?

How big is a sperm whale?

Adult males grow to about 16 m and 41 t; females to about 11–12 m and 14 t. Newborn calves are about 4 m long.

Why is it called a sperm whale?

It is named after spermaceti, the waxy oil in its huge head. Spermaceti has nothing to do with sperm: it helps the whale focus its clicks.

How deep can a sperm whale dive?

Typical hunting dives last 30–45 minutes and reach 400–1,200 m. Tags have recorded occasional dives to about 1,500 m. Bigger figures are often quoted, but the tag studies we checked did not record them.

How loud is a sperm whale?

Its clicks reach up to 236 dB re 1 µPa when measured head-on. That is an underwater scale, so it can't be compared directly with sound levels in air.

Do sperm whales sleep?

They rest drifting upright just under the surface, head up or head down, and scientists think this is how they sleep. They release bubbles while resting, which may help them stay balanced.

Are sperm whales dangerous to people?

Not when watched responsibly. Go with a licensed tour that follows local rules, keep your distance, and never approach, touch or swim towards whales. Rules and distances vary from place to place.

Is the sperm whale endangered?

It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The main threats today are ship strikes, fishing gear, ocean noise and marine debris.

What is ambergris?

A waxy lump that forms at the end of a sperm whale's gut, around hard squid beaks, and is passed out into the sea. The biggest piece on record weighed 455 kg.

Take the discovery with you