Dwarf sperm whale
Little sperm whale ( Kogia simus )
The Little Sperm Whale ( Kogia simus ), also referred to as micro sperm whale is a cetacean of the family of sperm whales ( Physeteridae ). It is a relatively unknown species that is rarely observed at sea, most of the knowledge comes from studies of stranded animals.
Dissemination
Small sperm whales are distributed in tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. He lives closer to the coast than the dwarf sperm whale, its preferred habitat is likely to be the region just outside the Continental Schelfes. Strandings are occupied by the Atlantic Ocean ( to the west by the U.S. state of Virginia to Brazil, in the east of Spain to the southern tip of Africa ), the Indian Ocean from South Africa to Indonesia and on the Australian coast, in the Pacific Ocean south of Japan and southern Canada to in the mid- Pacific.
In July 2010, a 2.6 -meter-long animal have died in Jebel Ali was washed up on the beach in the emirate of Dubai, which shows sporadic occurrence in the Persian Gulf.
Description
With a length of 2.1 to 2.7 meters and a weight of 136-272 KG is one of the little sperm whale to the smaller cetaceans. The skin is gray blue at the top, the underside is lighter, almost whitish. The head is more like that of a porpoise as the huge head of a sperm whale. As with all sperm whales is with them only the lower jaw fully dentate (14 to 26 teeth ), while the teeth of the upper jaw are missing or are stunted ( 0-6 teeth). From the dwarf sperm whale, he is distinguished by the larger fin and the smaller body size. The flippers are short and wide. Even the left- blowhole and the spermaceti organ are common with the other whale species.
Way of life
Small sperm whales are characterized by a quiet, unobtrusive swimming behavior. They show little Blas and low body surface and also do not jump out of the water. They often lie motionless at the water surface and can therefore be observed only in calm seas. They live in schools of no more than ten animals. The diet of these whales are squid, fish and crustaceans, which they catch in depths of 500-1300 meters.
Threat
Small sperm whales were actively hunted by whalers. Even today, they are occasionally killed, especially in Japan, Indonesia and the Caribbean. Because of small sperm whale closer to the coast than the lives Zwergpottwal, he is susceptible to further threats such as entanglement in fishing nets and pollution. However, there is neither an estimate of the total population still can provide information about the level of danger. An estimate is only for the eastern Pacific, where researchers say 11,000 live specimens. For the protection of marine mammals, such as the little sperm whale, a complete ban on fishing in the Tanon Strait, Philippines, was available.
System
Together with the Zwergpottwal forms the little sperm whale genus of dwarf sperm whales ( Kogia ), which are usually combined together with the actual sperm whale in a common family of sperm whales, although some zoologists put them in a separate family Kogiidae.