Species · accepted · checked 2026-08-05

Physeter macrocephalus

Sperm Whale

WoRMS 137119ITIS 180488key worms:137119

2026-08-05: itis_id 180488 via WoRMS external link

Silhouette · T. Michael Keesey · CC BY-SA 3.0 · PhyloPic, drawn from Physeter macrocephalus

Sperm Whale24 m

R/V Reuben Lasker63.6 m

max · sealifebase

A mother sperm whale and her calf off the coast of Mauritius. The calf has remoras attached to its body. — Photo · Gabriel Barathieu · CC BY-SA 2.0 · commons

The sperm whale or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale superfamily Physeteroidea, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.W CalCOFI holds 42 observations of it in 1 dataset between 1987 and 2020.R

42
observations: 42
records: 42
sampling events: 1987–2020
years: 1
datasets

Observed in
i
One row per dataset, one cell per year, darker with more observations — the same strip the front door draws per dataset. Each row ends with the name that dataset uses (dataset_taxon); the accepted name is written once, in the title above. A quiet pill marks a name the authority does not accept.

Seabirds & Marine Mammals 42 obs · 42 events · 1987–2020
name used: Physeter macrocephalus Sperm Whale · code SPWH

How big is it
i
Every mark is a measured length with its own source — hover one to read it. The reference objects are _data/size_reference.csv: two of them, the 505 µm bongo mesh and the net's ring, are CalCOFI's own sampling gear.

Groups

calcofi:marine_mammals

Ways in
i
Read from taxa.json of release v2026.09.11, written at release by calcofi4db::build_taxa_catalog(). The catalog's index is /species/.

Explorer db-query

ERDDAPCalCOFI's own server, the Seabirds & Marine Mammals table constrained to this taxon

https://erddap.calcofi.io/erddap/tabledap/farallon_bird-mammal.html?&taxon_key=%22worms:137119%22

Physeter macrocephalus

How big is itiEvery mark is a measured length with its own source — hover one to read it. The reference objects are _data/size_reference.csv: two of them, the 505 µm bongo mesh and the net's ring, are CalCOFI's own sampling gear.

Groups

Ways iniRead from taxa.json of release v2026.09.11, written at release by calcofi4db::build_taxa_catalog(). The catalog's index is /species/.

How big is it
i
Every mark is a measured length with its own source — hover one to read it. The reference objects are _data/size_reference.csv: two of them, the 505 µm bongo mesh and the net's ring, are CalCOFI's own sampling gear.

Ways in
i
Read from taxa.json of release v2026.09.11, written at release by calcofi4db::build_taxa_catalog(). The catalog's index is /species/.