THE SPERM WHALE

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PHYSETER CATODON

Length: 12–18 meters.
Weight: 30–50 tons.
Worldwide population: Uncertain, at least few hundred thousand.
Life expectancy: Ca. 70 years.

The Sperm Whale

Fully grow adult males are 17-20 m long and weigh 40-52 tons.  Females are 8-17 m long and weigh 20-38 tons.  Life expectancy is 60-80 years.  The body is dark grey on top, the sides are lighter in colour, and the underside is silver grey.  The eyes and the flippers are relatively small and the dorsal fin is almost non-existent. Most of the 30 teeth are situated in the narrow, lower jaw, each about 20 cm long.  The brain is the largest of any extant animal and weighs about 10 kg.

Specialists estimate the sperm whale’s greatest diving depth to be 3200 m, and more than two hours if necessary.  Its usual dives take about 15 minutes.  The head is more than a third of the whale’s length and contains great quantities of very fat oil, which may enable the whale to dive so deep.  This oil probably is distributed through the body according to its positions and depth, and contains added oxygen and equalizes the pressure.

Octopus is its main food, but it also eats squid and a few species of fish, such as tuna, giant skate, and shark.  In Icelandic waters, it also feeds on ocean perch, lumpfish, monkfish, cod, saithe, and spotted catfish.  Sperm whales usually bear marks on their heads of the constant fights with the octopus.

Sperm whale males behave very differently to other species of whales in their mating.  They collect a harem of 20-30 cows and watch it very carefully.  They usually mate in April during the migration to the north.  The gestation period is about 16 months, and the calf’s size at birth is about 4 m and one ton.  It is suckled for about a year and pregnancies occur every third year.  Females reach their puberty at the age of 7-13 and the males at 17-21.

Sperm Whales are found in all oceans of the world, but it prefers warm seas.  Only old or young males migrate to Icelandic waters during summer in groups of 10-20.  Their total number is estimated to be 1400.  The total world population is estimated 1½ - 2 millions.

LINKS

Which way now?

Environmentalists hope to save the whales - again

Japan backs Iceland's whaling decision Seattle Post Intelligencer - 18 Oct 2006
TOKYO -- Major pro-whaling nation Japan on Wednesday welcomed Iceland's decision to resume commercial whaling, saying Iceland's catch won't "endanger the whale ...

Iceland whaling decision condemned Stuff.co.nz

Greenpeace 'disappointed' by Iceland's whaling plans ABC Online

Moves begin on Iceland's whaling BBC News

Monsters and Critics.com - Radio New Zealand

Greens dismayed at Iceland whaling decision Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand - 17 Oct 2006 News that Iceland is to begin commercial whaling after a 20-year hiatus is being greeted with dismay by Green Party Conservation Spokesperson Metiria Turei. ...

Iceland to Resume Commercial Whaling  Los Angeles Times, CA - 17 Oct 2006
REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Iceland said Tuesday it would resume commercial whaling after a nearly two-decade moratorium, defying a worldwide ban on hunting the ...

Green warrior to come to Iceland IcelandReview, Iceland - 20-10-06
... According to RÚV, the US government is also opposed to Iceland resuming commercial whaling and has the power to block all imports from Iceland to USA. ...

Today's Scoop Just Politics News Summary 17 Oct 2006
Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand - commercial whaling administered by the International Whaling Commission. See... Greens dismayed at Iceland whaling decision

Update: Finnair strike expected to continue next week International Herald Tribune, France -  hours ago
... "We have received several e-mails from people saying they have decided not to visit Iceland as long as Iceland is conducting whaling," said Thorunn ...

Tharp She Gets Shot! The Return of Whaling in Iceland    19 Oct 2006

Plenty Magazine, NY -  which Iceland’s whales have been protected from hunters came to an end on Tuesday, when the country’s lawmakers voted to resume commercial whaling in the ...

Whaling is affecting tourism IcelandReview, Iceland - 19 Oct 2006
... of Swiss travel agency Baldinger Reisen AG sent a written statement to icelandreview.com yesterday, expressing his concerns about Iceland resuming whaling. ...

Iceland, Whales, Politics  FiNS Magazine, Singapore - 18 Oct 2006
... For a good overview on the Iceland decision and the issues associated with commercial whaling in general, see this recent article in the Guardian. ...

Iceland to resume commercial whaling after almost 2 decades USA Today 17-10-06
Critics say the "scientific" whaling practiced by Japan and Iceland is a sham. Norway ignores the moratorium altogether and openly conducts commercial whaling.

Iceland's Whaling Comeback - Preparations for the Resumption of ...

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) is the leading international charity dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all ... www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.nsf/ allweb/B2460680BC28D8F480256D4A0040D97B

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Moves begin on Iceland's whaling

Iceland's ambassador to Britain is summoned to explain his country's return to commercial whaling.  news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6064028.stm

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Iceland bids to resume whaling

Iceland reveals its plans to catch whales again for the first time since 1989, despite the international whaling moratorium.  news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2910655.stm

Iceland Whaling v/s Whale watching. Whaling v/s Whale watching.

The most commonly used argument in Iceland is that whaling must be resumed before the whales start ... Yearly report on Iceland whale watching industry: ... www.global500.org/news_83.html 

Iceland

My opinion: Iceland's reasons for scientific whaling are FUBAR and if we can ... I wonder how many of you criticising Iceland's whaling have actually read ... weblog.greenpeace.org/iceland/archives/001530.html

Stop Icelandic whaling

Stop Icelandic Whaling: Arctic Sunrise Expedition 2005, Stop Icelandic Whaling: Arctic ... tourism in Iceland IF Iceland discontinues whaling. One Icelandic ...

weblog.greenpeace.org/iceland/archives/2003_09.html

Greenpeace 'disappointed' by Iceland's whaling plans. 19/10/2006

Greenpeace says it is very disappointed Iceland has decided to resume commercial whaling Iceland has authorised an annual hunt of 30 minke and nine of the ...
www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1768443.htm

Earth Island Institute

Iceland's whaling proposal threatens its growing whale-watching industry. In 2002, more than 62000 people went whale-watching in Iceland. ...
www.earthisland.org/takeaction/new_action.cfm?aaID=167

Japan backs Iceland's whaling decision - Yahoo! News

Major pro-whaling nation Japan on Wednesday welcomed Iceland's decision to resume commercial whaling, saying Iceland's catch won't "endanger the whale ...
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061019/ ap_on_re_eu/japan_iceland_whaling

Whales on the Net - Iceland Whaling Protest Letter

I am appalled to learn that Iceland has decided to resume commercial whaling under the guise of scientific research, and plans to kill 38 minke whales this ...   www.whales.org.au/alert/iceletter.html 

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