1. A few facts about Sperm Whales
“Thar She Blows!”
A few facts about Sperm Whales

2. Why does a whale spout?
Whales can't breathe through their mouths. Their nostrils are on top of their heads: what's called the "blowhole" is really the whale's nostrils. The "spout" the whale sends up is a plume of condensed air from its breath as it exhales. The pattern of the spout varies with whale species, and old-time whaling men could tell a sperm whale from a right whale, and so forth by the pattern of its exhalation, or "blow."

3. Picture of spouting whale
Whaling ships would look for signs of whales spouting. When they saw a whale spouting, they would shout, “Thar she blows” and the hunt was on!

4. Whale going for a dive
Whales move their tails in an up and down motion to push them through the water.

5. A Whale is not a fish
They may look like fish, but a whale is a mammal. This means it breathes air, gives lives birth, and nurses its young. This is a picture of a baby sperm whale feeding.

6. Many whales are bigger than a school bus!
Type: Mammal Diet: Carnivore
Size: 49 to 59 ft (15 to 18 m) Weight: 35 to 45 tons (31.8 to 40.8 metric tons)

7. Whaling Industry
Before electricity, houses and businesses were lit by oil lamps and candles made from tallow (animal fat).
Whale oil from the sperm whale was valuable because it burned without much smoke.
The center of the whaling industry was Nantucket, and island off the coast of Massachusetts.
Whaling was a profitable but dangerous job.

8. Fast Facts
Sperm whales are known to dive as deep as 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) in search of squid to eat. These giant mammals must hold their breath for up to 90 minutes on such dives.
These toothed whales eat thousands of pounds of fish and squid—about one ton (907 kg) per day.
Group name: Pod
Protection status: Endangered