kanaloa

Pygmy Sperm Whale

Pygmy Sperm Whale

(Kogia breviceps)

Strange in structure, with its habits practically unknown, the Pygmy Sperm Whale seemingly shuns the usual haunts of the larger whales. No naturalist has yet observed one at sea. They range as far south 
as Tasmania, Peru, and South Africa, and north to Japan, Baja California, and in the Atlantic to Nova Scotia and the Netherlands.
This diminutive relative of the huge Sperm Whale  grows to lengths of only 9 to 13 feet. The Pygmy is black above and light gray or grayish white beneath. It has a bluntly pointed snout, which projects beyond the lower jaw, a spermaceti organ, and a small, narrow, pinkish mouth. There are 14 or 15 slender, curved, and acutely pointed teeth in each lower jaw.
Like their larger relatives, Pygmy Sperm Whales live considerably on cuttlefish.

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