Dwarf Sperm Whale

Names & Nicknames: Dwarf sperm whale, not to be confused with the pygmy sperm whale!

Size: By name, by nature – the dwarf sperm whale is not just the smallest species of sperm whale, but the smallest species of whale full stop! Coming in at a tiny-ish 2-2.27m in length and 136-272kg in weight, some sumo wrestlers are heavier than these whales!

Smell: Dwarf sperm whales, like their larger cousins, will sometimes produce stinky substances called ambergris. Ambergris is a waxy substance that forms in the intestines of these whales to protect their insides from pointy squid beaks. This gloop is eventually expelled from the whale and initially smells like poo, but over time it mellows out into a pleasant musky, marine scent. In fact, it was used to create high-end perfumes! Although the ambergris is naturally excreted and floats to the surface so it can be collected ethically, it's mostly banned now as it leads to increased hunting of sperm whales.

Communication: Dwarf sperm whales often spend time on their own but can hang out in pods of up to 16, so they need to be able to communicate with each other. Like many dolphins and whales, they do this through sound. They also use sound, through echolocation, to map out the pitch black of the deep ocean by shooting out waves of sound that bounce back off objects (such as a tasty squid) around them and using these reverberations they can help navigate and find food in the murky depths.

Favourite Hangout: Temperate and tropical oceans the world over, but their favourite place to hang out is around continental shelve such as in the Gulf of California or off the tip of Africa. Hanging around here gives them easy access to deep water where they feed. It’s thought that they may even use the walls of the shelf to herd squid so they can catch them more easily.

Favourite Snack: Dwarf sperm whales are seafood connoisseurs, eating a range of squid, octopus, crustaceans, and fish.

Eating Habits: Like all sperm whales, these tiddlers have a pretty unique way of eating: suction feeding. They'll gobble prey with their sharp teeth and use their muscular tongue to expel water from their mouth, creating a powerful suction to suck their prey in whole. The true hoovers of the sea.

Toilet Humour: Like their cephalopod (squids and octopus etc.) prey, dwarf sperm whales also do something called inking. However, where cephalopods squirt ink as a defence mechanism, dwarf sperm whales squirt out a shot of reddish-brown poo, blinding would-be predators in a cloud of intestinal goo! Hear more about these unique tactics on our podcast, the Animal Sensemaker, available on all streaming platforms.

Love Language: Little is known about the mysterious love lives of these little whales. We think mating happens year-round, and like other sperm whales, males likely compete against each other for mating opportunities. If there are any budding marine biologists out there working on dwarf sperm whale courtship, please let us know!

If you see them: These whales are very shy and will avoid the sounds of boats and planes. This, coupled with their tendency to stay down deep and their small bodies with dark grey backs, make them very hard to spot. If you see them, count yourself lucky and give them plenty of space so as not to spook them.

Red Flags: Dwarf sperm whales are affected by all the classic threats that scare many whale and dolphin species. These include being entangled in fishing gear, marine pollution and plastics, vessel strikes, noise pollution, climate change, and hunting. It's no wonder they're so shy.

Epic Journeys: Despite knowing that they're found all over the oceans, apart from the polar regions, not much else is known about how their population is spread and if they migrate. Whales such as humpbacks are some of the world's greatest migrators, so maybe these whales are too...

Glow-up: Dwarf sperm whales are believed to have a gestation period of around 9-16 months (depending on who you ask). They then give birth to typically only one calf, which will develop and reach sexual maturity at around 3-5 years.

Facts: Despite being a whale, who are normally pretty safe in the oceans (from other animals that is) given the dwarf whale's small size, they are predated on by orcas and large sharks like great whites.

Who are they in the friendship group: The younger brother who hasn't hit their growth spurt yet.