Why is sperm whale called sperm whale?

Publish date: 2024-06-20

Etymology. The name sperm whale is a truncation of spermaceti whale. Spermaceti, originally mistakenly identified as the whales’ semen, is the semi-liquid, waxy substance found within the whale’s head (see below).Click to see full answer. Similarly one may ask, where did the sperm whale’s name come from?The Sperm whale gets its name from the spermaceti organ which fills most of its huge head. In the 18th and 19th centuries, New England whalers sought out the Sperm whale for the valuable spermaceti oil, which makes an exceptionally fine lubricant.Beside above, how much does a sperm whale sperm? The average blue whale produces over 400 gallons of sperm when it ejaculates, but only 10% of that actually makes it into his mate. Additionally, what is the sperm in a sperm whale? During whale harvests, this organ, now called the spermaceti organ, was discovered to contain a white liquid that whalers mistook for the sperm of the whale. The spermaceti organ is unique to sperm whales, although bottlenose whales possess a similar organ.Do Sperm whales eat sharks?The sperm whales feed on several species, notably the giant squid, but also the colossal squid, octopuses, and fish like demersal rays. Some prey may be taken accidentally while eating other items. They have been known to eat the megamouth shark and there is evidence of their having eaten a great white shark.

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