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The sperm whale family, or sperm whales, is a common name for the family Physeteridae or superfamily Physeteroidea. The three existing species of whale are the Sperm Whale, in the genus Physeter, and the Pygmy Sperm Whale and Dwarf Sperm Whale, in the genus Kogia. In the past these genera have sometimes been united in the single family, Physeteridae, with the two Kogia species in a subfamily (Kogiinae), however recent practice is to allocate the genus Kogia to its own family, Kogiidae, leaving Physeteridae as a monotypic (single extant species) family, although additional fossil representatives of both families are known (see "Evolution"). The name Sperm Whale comes from sailors of whaling boats who thought that the spermaceti on the whales head was actual sperm from the reproductive system. Once the name began to spread, it became common knowledge that the Sperm Whale is the most homosexual whale of the entire whale species. In fact, entire pods have been seen having massive orgies with one another, humping and thrusting with force. Once incident was so incredibly violent that it subsequently created the tsunami that devastated much of South East Asia in 2006. Henceforth, Sperm Whales are bastards, and should be shot on sight.

Characteristics

The Sperm Whale is the largest species of toothed whale, with adult bulls(males) growing to be about 15-18 metres (50-60 feet) long, and weighing about 45-70 tonnes. The two kogiid species are much smaller, at only around 2.5 to 3.5 metres (9-11 feet) in length, and weighing 350-500 kilograms (770-1,100 pounds).

The body of sperm whales is robustly proportioned, with paddled-shaped flippers. The lower jaw is always relatively small and thin relative to the upper jaw. The nasal bones of sperm whales are distinctly asymmetrical, with the blowhole being located on the left side of the head; in the Sperm Whale this is near the top of the head, while on the kogiids it is further forward. All species have a large number of similar, and relatively simple, teeth. In the kogiids, and sometimes also in the Sperm Whale, the teeth in the upper jaw do not erupt, and are sometimes altogether absent.

The eyes of sperm whales are unable to swivel in their sockets, and possess only a vestigial anterior chamber. It is likely that echolocation is a far more important sense to these animals than vision.

Another common characteristic is the spermaceti, a semi-liquid waxy white substance filling the 'case' or spermaceti organ in the whale's head, which plays the role of a ballast in diving and maintaining buoyancy. This is done by flushing cold water though the nose, hardening the spermaceti, to dive, and pumping warm blood to melt the spermaceti to surface. (See the individual species articles for further details). All three species dive to great depths to find food, although the Sperm Whale is believed to dive much deeper than either of the kogiids. Members of both families eat squid, fish, and even sharks.

Gestation lasts from nine to fifteen months, depending on species. The single calf remains with the mother for at least two years, before being weaned. Sperm whales do not reach full sexual maturity for several years. All species congregate together in 'pods' or herds, consisting of mostly females, calfs, and adolescent males, although these pod sizes are typically smaller in the kogiids.

Evolution

The earliest sperm whale fossils are known from the late Oligocene - about 25 million years ago, , with an ancestry tracing back from the latest Eocene before diverging from the remainder of the Odontocetid line, leading to the dolphins, and porpoises.

The fossil record suggests that sperm whales were more common in the Miocene, where basal lineages (such as Zygophyseter and Naganocetus) existed; other fossil genera assigned to the Physeteridae include Ferecetotherium, Helvicetus, Idiorophus, Diaphorocetus, Aulophyseter, Orycterocetus, Scaldicetus, and Placoziphius, while Kogiid fossil genera include Kogiopsis, Scaphokogia, and Praekogia. The earliest kogiids are known from the late Miocene, around 7 million years ago.

The close relationship between extant Physeteridae and Kogiidae is confirmed in recent molecular studies using mitochondrial cytochrome b, ; on the basis of these analyses, their nearest relatives appear to be the Ziphiidae on one hand, and the Mysticeti and Platanistidae on the other. The last cited paper also favours the grouping of Physeteridae and Kogiidae in a single superfamily, Physeteroidea, as has sometimes previously been suggested. Bianucci & Landini, 2006 suggest that Diaphorocetus, Zygophyseter, Naganocetus and Aulophyseter pre-date the inferred split of Kogiidae and Physeteridae and thus would restrict the family Physeteridae to those genera that post-date this split (a cladistic view).

Classification

Members of the suborder Odontoceti, the suborder containing all the toothed whales and dolphins. One extant species of the genus Physeter, which is placed in the family Physeteridae. Two species of the related extant genus Kogia, the pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps and the dwarf sperm whale K. simus, are sometimes also placed in this family, or else are placed in their own family, Kogiidae.

The following is a summary of the classification of extant and extinct (†) taxa:

Cetacea

• Mysticeti, baleen whales
• Odontoceti, toothed whales
  • Platanistoidea, river dolphins
    • Delphinidae, oceanic dolphins
    • Phocoenidae, porpoises
    • Monodontidae, Narwhal, white Beluga
    • Ziphiidae, beaked whales
  • Physeteroidea, sperm whales
    • stem physeteroids
      • Diaphorocetus †
      • Acrophyseter †
      • Zygophyseter †
      • Brygmophyseter (= Naganocetus) †
      • Aulophyseter †
    • Physeteridae, sperm whales
      • Physeter, sperm whales
        • Physeter macrocephalus, sperm whale
      • Orycterocetus †
      • Ferecetotherium †
      • Helvicetus †
      • Idiorophus †
      • Placoziphius †
      • Idiophyseter †
      • Physeterula †
    • Kogiidae
      • Kogia, small sperm whales
        • Kogia breviceps, pygmy sperm whale
        • Kogia simus, dwarf sperm whale
      • Kogiopsis †
      • Praekogia †
      • Scaphokogia †

References

1. ^ Lockyer, Christina (1984). Macdonald, D. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 204–209. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
2. Stucky, R. E. & McKenna, M. C. (1993). Mammalia. Pp. 739-771 in Benton, M. J. ed.: The Fossil Record 2. Chapman & Hall, London.
3. ^ Mchedlidze. G. A. (2002). Sperm whales, evolution. Pp. 1172-1174 in Perrin, W. F., Würsic, B. & Thewissen, J. G. M. eds.: Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, San Diego.
4. Perrin, W. F., Würsic, B. & Thewissen, J. G. M. eds.: Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, San Diego, 1414 pp.
5. Verma, S. K., Sinha, R. K. & Singh, L. (2004). Phylogenetic position of Platanista gangetica: insights from the mitochondrial cytochrome b and nuclear interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 280-288.
6. May-Collado, L. & Agnarsson, I. (2006). Cytochrome b and Bayesian inference of whale phylogeny. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38: 344-354
7. Bianucci, G. & Landini, W. 2006. Killer sperm whale: a new basal physeteroid (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Late Miocene of Italy. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 148: 103–131.
8. Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). "Order Cetacea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 723–743. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
9. "A new stem-sperm whale (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Physeteroidea) from the Latest Miocene of Peru". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 7 (6): 361–369. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2008.06.002. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)

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