Sperm whales live in the depths of the ocean. They dive as deep as 900 meters (nearly 3,000 feet) to forage and spend only about 10 minutes of every hour on the surface. Their world is cold and dark, an environment other mammals would find extremely hostile.
“Sperm whales have evolved to adapt to a niche that is about as alien from our own as is possible to get without leaving the planet,” says Luke Rendell, biologist and co-founder of the Dominica Sperm Whale Project.
Here’s some of what we know about sperm whales and how they spend their lives in this alien world.
Sperm Whales Are Big
An adult male sperm whale can weigh up to 50 tons and reach 18 meters (about 60 feet in length — the distance from home plate to the pitcher’s mound in major league baseball).
