Dwarf Sperm Whale [Kogia sima]
Description
The Dwarf Sperm Whale is the smallest species in the whale family, measuring up to 2.7 meters and weighing up to 250 kilograms. They are similar in appearance to the Pygmy Sperm Whale, with a shark-like dorsal fin and a squared-off snout. Dwarf Sperm Whales inhabit deep waters in the world's tropical and temperate seas, where they feed on a diet of cephalopods and small fish. Like the Pygmy Sperm Whale, they are known to release a cloud of reddish-brown fluid when threatened.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Mammals
Mammalia
|
| Order |
Cetaceans
Cetacea
|
| Family |
Sperm whales
Physeteridae
|
| Genus |
Sperm Whale
Physeter
|