The skull of a sperm whale found beached on the banks of the River Forth is now on display at the National Museum of Scotland. The 40ft whale known affectionately as 'Moby' became a cause célèbre after being sighted swimming up the Forth rather than out to sea. Along with the suspended skeletons, the Museum also displays the skull of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and the huge lower jaw of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). This jaw belonged to an animal '88-foot long', which far exceeds the known maximum size of the species today, suggesting that sperm whales may have been.
Sperm Whale Skeleton Display Photograph by Thomas Fredberg Pixels
The sperm whale's skull accounts for perhaps 12 percent of the weight of the head. The other 88 percent consists mainly of a peculiar anatomical feature located in the whale's snout above the upper jaw: the spermaceti organ. The organ is a complex mass of muscle and oil-filled connective tissue. The oil is what gave the sperm whale its name; in a Write an article and join a growing community of more than 175,800 academics and researchers from 4,836 institutions. How we worked out when whales first evolved asymmetrical skulls. The sperm whale skull amphitheatre is found to be a sandwich composite structure. • Histology of the bone reveals the predominating layers have a substantial woven component. • The middle layer is macroporous but contains larger quantities of primary bone. • Nanoindentation reveals a stiffness of ca. 13 GPa in each layer. • Sperm Whale. Able to dive to depths of 2,987 meters (9,800 feet), the sperm whale is the deepest diver of all the marine mammals. Largest of the toothed whales, the deep-diving sperm whale is also the largest toothed animal in the world. The species name, macrocephalus, Greek for "big head", describes one identifying characteristic of this.
Sperm Whale Skull
A new study about sperm whales provides insight into the intelligence of sperm whales. The study concludes that the species often divides into clans and dialects. Host Carol Hills speaks with Hal Whitehead, a biologist who led the study, about his findings. The sperm whale skull amphitheatre cradles an enormous two-tonne spermaceti organ. The amphitheatre separates this organ from the cranium and the cervical vertebrae that lie in close proximity to the base of the skull. Here, we elucidate that this skull amphitheatre is an elastic, flexible, triple-layered structure with mechanical properties. 2. Sperm whale clans. The foundation of sperm whale society is the matrilineally based social unit of ten or so females and their offspring. The members of the unit travel together, suckle each others' infants, and babysit them while mothers make long deep dives to feed [14,15].They also defend themselves communally against their only serious natural predator, the killer whale (Orcinus orca) []. A mother sperm whale and her calf off the coast of Mauritius. The calf has remoras attached to its body. Credit: Gabriel Barathieu/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 2.0
Sperm whale skeleton hires stock photography and images Alamy
Unexpected discoveries about the societies of our ancestors can help guide studies of sperm whale clans. Conversely, the existence of sperm whale clans may have implications for understanding human social evolution. Full study: Sperm whale clans and human societies (Royal Society Open Science) Contact The sperm whale or cachalot [a] ( Physeter macrocephalus) 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 family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia .
The above video features Bonehenge director Keith Rittmaster when he announced the completed skeletal rearticulation of the deceased, stranded sperm whale, Echo. There's a lot to consider when it comes to whale skeletons. Spermaceti organ on top of skull; Asymmetrical skulls; Single blowhole, slightly offset to the left side of the head; Short underslung jaw; Maximum length of 12 ft (3.8m). (Kogia sima) sperm whales from waters of the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast. Marine Mammal Science, 2014; 30 (2) 626 DOI: 10.1111/mms.12064;
Top view of sperm whale skull and nasal passage Nantucket Whaling Museum Tony Wu Underwater
A basic sperm whale osteology model highlighting the enlarged skull and short cervical vertebrae (A). A photograph showing occiput (occi), atlas (C1), the fused vertebra (C2), and the atlanto-occipital interspace of the sperm whale (B). 1, scapula. 2, fin bone. 3, cervical vertebrae. occi, the occiput.. Sperm whales also lower their heart. The sperm whale - Physeter macrocephalus - is an oddball among living cetaceans. As big as many of its baleen-bearing cousins, yet armed with a lower jaw full of teeth slung below its blunt.
