Sperm whale adaptations

Bernard Exhibition Fund. The proportion of each dive type made compared to the total number of dives was calculated as well as the proportion of the time spent making dives from each category compared to the overall time spent making dives i. Modern whaling was more efficient than open-boat whaling, employing steam-powered ships and exploding harpoons. The skin posterior to the head region is wrinkled or prune-like in appearance in contrast to the smooth skin of most whales. The Sperm Whale's enormous head and distinctive shape, have led many to describe it as the archetypal whale. Males reach puberty at nine to ten years of age but are probably not high enough in social status in a breeding school to mate until they are 25 to 27 years old. PC4 was somewhat difficult to interpret in light of PC3, as it indicated that dives with longer postdive intervals had higher travel speeds and were shallower larger Distance to the Sea Floor.

So how did they do it? Routine dive depths are usually in the 1, to 3,foot range, and dives can last between 20 minutes and an hour. Article originally published on May 2, The Sperm Whale's enormous head and distinctive shape, have led many to describe it as the archetypal whale. Having acute hearing when submerged underwater is also extremely important because sound travels 4 times faster in water than it does and land, and those who have developed good underwater hearing have the best chances of survival, especially species that have to worry about potential predators. Mothers also use it it keep track of their young calf when they are diving to hunt; a calf cannot dive very deeply because it has to breathe much more frequently than the mother does. These organs would act like floats or balloons.

The white scars often seen on the bodies of Sperm Whales are believed to be caused by squid. Collapse of the lungs forces air away from the alveoli, where gas exchange between the lungs and blood occurs. Therefore, the relative size of the lung is actually quite small in proportion to its body, and the amount of air they contain is not quite as much as may be expected. Diving to depth can result in mechanical distortion and tissue compression, especially in gas-filled spaces in the body. So how did they do it?