Sperm whale

[Sarah]

A very large toothed whale (Physeter macrocephalus), having ahead of enormous size. The upper jaw is destitute of teeth. In theupper part of the head, above the skull, there is a large cavity, orcase, filled with oil and spermaceti. This whale sometimes grows tothe length of more than eighty feet. It is found in the warmer partsof all the oceans. Called also cachalot, and spermaceti whale. Pygmysperm whale (Zoöl.), a small whale (Kogia breviceps), seldom twentyfeet long, native of tropical seas, but occasionally found on theAmerican coast. Called also snub-nosed cachalot.-- Sperm-whale porpoise (Zoöl.), a toothed cetacean (Hyperoödonbidens), found on both sides of the Atlantic and valued for its oil.The adult becomes about twenty-five feet long, and its head is verylarge and thick. Called also bottle-nosed whale.