Pygmy Sperm Whale
(Kogia breviceps)
Image from UNCW Marine Mammal Program
Taken under NOAA scientific permit #948-1692-00
Courtesy of NOAA
Species Description:
- Small and robust body that tapers near the fluke
- Small, low, rounded dorsal fin
- Pointed snout, underslung and bracket-shaped pigment pattern
(false gill slit) make the head appear "shark-like"
- Single blowhole on top of head
- Males and females are of similar size
- Body coloration is counter-shaded, ranging from brown to
dark blue gray on their dorsal surface, to white to soft pink
on their ventral surface
- Average length at physical maturity is ~ 11.5 ft (3.5 m)
- Average weight at physical maturity is ~ 700 – 1,100 lb
(315 – 500 kg)
Behavior:
Reproduction:
- Appear sluggish and slow moving
- Typically seen lying motionless or “logging” at the surface
- Roll or sink from view without showing flukes to initiate dive
- Usually seen as solitary animals or in groups of 6 – 7
- Average swimming speed is ~ 3 knots (1.5 m/s)
- May expel dark, ink-like feces to use as an escape
mechanism, much like a
cephalopod
Diet:
- Cephalopods
(squid and octopus)
- Deep sea fishes
- Crustaceans
(crabs and shrimp)
- Feed in mid- to deep water environments
- Estimated diving capabilities of up to > 3000 ft (1,000 m)
in search of prey
- Lifespan estimated to be 23 years
- Sexual maturity reached at 4-5 years
- Gestation period approximately 9 – 11 months
- Newborn calves weigh ~ 110 lb (50 kg)
- Newborn calves are ~ 3.9 ft (1.2 m) in length
- Calving season: March – August
Threats / Conservation:
- Not Endangered
- Protected underConservation/
the Marine Mammal Protection
Act
Threats:
(MMPA) in the United States
- Bycatch from driftnets, gillnets, and purse seine operations
- Potential ship strike due to logging behavior
- Vulnerable to impacts of anthropogenic acoustic activity
- In the US, ingestion of plastics and marine debris is the
primary human impact
Species Distribution:
- Usually found in tropical, subtropical, or temperate waters in oceans worldwide
- Oceanic pelagic species living mostly beyond the continental shelf
- Based on stranding data, they are more abundant off the coasts of the mid-Atlantic and southeastern US
- Because of their secretive, deep diving behavior good estimates of population numbers are lacking
Courtesy of NOAA
Pygmy Sperm Whale Range Map
Strandings in North Carolina:
- From 1992 to 2013, 93 pygmy sperm whales stranded in North Carolina,
averaging four strandings per year
- Most commonly stranded pelagic odontocete, frequently live-strand
- Strandings occur most commonly from spring through fall
- 32 total strandings in spring, 21 total in summer, followed by 28 in fall over 21 years
References:
Information for this document came primarily from NOAA’s Office of Protected Resources website.
Other references included: Guide to Mammals of the Southeastern US by Larry Brown
UNCW Standing Program under NOAA SA
Produced by UNCW student Jade Holder, 2014