Pygmy Sperm Whale
Scientific Name : Kogia breviceps
- IUCN: Not Endangered/ Least Concern
- Other names: None
- Swahili name: Nyangumi mbilikimo muuaji
- Length: 2-2.7m
- Weight: 150-275kg
- Life expectancy: Unknown
- Abundance: Offshore temperate to tropical waters around the world
- Occurance: Unknown
- Primary prey: Squid in deep waters, various fish and crustaceans
- Conservation status: Vessel strikes, Entanglement in fishing gear, Ocean noise
- Quick key identification: Small compact body with a small dorsal fin just behind mid-point of back. Head and back are somewhat flat and slightly “shark-like” head due to pointed snout and narrow underslung jaw. “False gill” marking behind eye. Eyes are dark and bulging with dark ring around them. Blue-grey coloured back with underside paler with white or ink. Small blunt flippers near head. Have up to three pairs of teeth in the upper jaw and 7-12 teeth in the lower jaw. .
Like the sperm whale, the dwarf sperm whale also has spermaceti found in its head which is a sac of oil that helps the whales produce sound. Like squid, they are also able to produce a dark, ink-like liquid that is located in its intestine and can release up to 11 litres at at time to escape predators. Often confused for pygmy sperm whales which are also their closest relative.
