Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Sperm whale?

\Sperm" whale`\ (Zo["o]l.) A very large toothed whale ({Physeter macrocephalus}), having a head of enormous size. The upper jaw is destitute of teeth. In the upper part of the head, above the skull, there is a large cavity, or case, filled with oil and spermaceti. This whale sometimes grows to the length of more than eighty feet. It is found in the warmer parts of all the oceans. Called also {cachalot}, and {spermaceti whale}. {Pygmy sperm whale} (Zo["o]l.), a small whale ({Kogia breviceps}), seldom twenty feet long, native of tropical seas, but occasionally found on the American coast. Called also {snub-nosed cachalot}. {Sperm-whale porpoise} (Zo["o]l.), a toothed cetacean ({Hypero["o]don bidens}), found on both sides of the Atlantic and valued for its oil. The adult becomes about twenty-five feet long, and its head is very large and thick. Called also {bottle-nosed whale}.