5 Amazing Facts You Didn't Know About Sperm Whales

Welcome to this episode of Facts in Motion. Today we are going to take a look at one of the largest animals on the planet - Here are 5 facts you might not know about the sperm whale.
Hope you enjoy.
Music by LoboLoco freemusicarchive.org/music/Lob...
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creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@factsinmotion3978]

A lot of people commented on how the first point(intelligence) isn't exactly correct and I have to agree. This was my first video and I was more focused on figuring out the animation - something that I hadn't done before and so I didn't spend that much time researching. It was meant to be a quick dumb video to learn the animation process and no scientific masterpiece. At that time, I felt I had to balance the "biggest brain" statement with something - so people don't think they are swimming geniuses - to play it down a bit, so I just went with the EQ thing - but I think the way it came out made it seem like they are one of the dumbest animals, which ofc couldn't be further from the truth either. If I had to make this video now, I would do it a lot differently. But since this was my first video I still wanna keep it for nostalgia purposes - even tho I don't agree with everything I said. Hope that makes sense.

[@WildBillCox13]

A fine first effort and I applaud you for it.

[@Kyoptic]

It was a great video! I hope I didn't' come across as harsh 0.0 It was a tiny thing, and the rest of the information was spot on!

[@rakeshahire8703]

Nice video bro..dont worry..

[@KT-cz7rm]

Facts in Motion thanks for explaining. I love your channel so far. I've subscribed.

[@PoohOnMetal]

Where do you get the musik i like it

[@Kyoptic]

Marine biologist here. Pretty good overall, but I have to oppose your implication that they're not highly intelligent animals. They demonstrate the ability to learn, are highly curious, very social and are one of the few species on the planet to demonstrably show animal culture.

[@kingpotato7183]

animal culture? would you mind to elaborate

[@Kyoptic]

Sperm Whales have a typified set of vocal repertoires called Coda Clicks. These coda clicks vary, to an extent, across a geographic range (e.g. all the Mediterranean sperm whales have the same '3+1' Coda click - you can find recordings of these here on youtube). These coda clicks are used almost exclusively in social contexts. Now, what's interesting is that social groups that *don't* share coda clicks don't interact. Groups that do will sometimes socialize between themselves, but if two groups don't share a coda click, they don't interact - it seems therefore to act as a 'language barrier'. Sure, you say, a language barrier is one thing, where's the evidence for culture? Well, coda clicks are also linked to specific behaviors that are carried out by those groups - e.g defense and foraging strategies, among others. These behaviors are passed from generation to generation, and shared by groups with the same coda clicks! So Sperm whales have typified behaviors passed from generation to generation, that are linked not by geographic location or family lineage, but by the shared coda click repertoire. It's a simplistic but very interesting form of culture.

[@lillycastitatis6807]

That is amazing I love whales and dolphins. Congrats for being a marine biologist it's a profession I did consider back when I was at school.

[@zekiah2]

Question. I thought the spermaceti was used for buoyancy. Don't they melt the wax with body heat to increase buoyancy and let it solidify to dive?

[@Kyoptic]

Good question, and it's something that is still a possibility. What we do know for sure is that the spermaceti organ plays a role in sound transmission in the sperm whale, explained in a model known as the "bent horn hypothesis". Most odontoceti (toothed whales, dolphins) make clicks via an organ known as the phonic lips. These vibrate when air is pushed through them. The click sound is then transmitted through fatty tissue known as the 'melon' (responsible for the big bulge on the forehead of all toothed whales and dolphins), which acts like an acoustic "lens" for the sound, which the animals can then use to focus it on specific targets. Now, in most cetaceans these phonic lips are behind the melon. However, in the Sperm whale the phonic lips are right at the front of the nose and oriented "backwards". In them, the sound goes backwards *through* the spermaceti organ, bounces off an air filled cavity at the rear of the cranium, and only THEN goes through the melon of the sperm whale (often called the "junk" as it was useless to the whalers of old). From my reading it's been difficult to assess what the exact density of Spermaceti is when liquid or solid - I've seen several that disagree and I've not had the privilege of being able to do any experiments myself. What I can say is that if it became solid when diving, I suspect it would become a much worse at conducting sound, which the above evidence seems to indicate must be it's primary task. That's not to to say it doesn't play some role in buoyancy control, but in my opinion - as well as the general scientific consensus - it's primary role is acoustic. That said, I read a paper from 2015 that proposed a much more elaborate and amusing hypotheses for why the spermaceti organ exists - and why it's so big: what a waste of energy to grow! - were for use as a battering ram in male-male competition over females, hehe. Total BS IMHO, but there we go.

[@thewarrior4880]

"whalecum to this episode of facts in motion"... I saw what you did there 😂😂😂

[@thatguy1764]

No pun intended

[@megaball-ps8tq]

Lmao

[@alexmontgomery255]

Good one!

[@potatopotato6865]

Lol

[@gyui1091]

....

[@Armidillodude]

Kind of shame that this amazing animal has to have an awkward name. It makes it even worse that the name *came* from a mistake

[@Whitebeard79outOfRus]

Not in every language. In Russian, for example, we know it by its French name "Caсhalot" (which could also be funny in English as it is pronounced like "Cash alot" )))

[@mertcoskun7382]

I always thought that the way we call Sperm Whales in Turkey is pretty cool. We spell it as "İspermeçet"

[@emilioarce4621]

Cachalote in Spanish

[@hennesseyxi9449]

@@Whitebeard79outOfRus in spanish too is Cachalote

[@sheilaarmenti5321]

Mr. Spiff kind of like the killer whale.. they are dolphins and kill whales.

[@gerardbz6183]

Spermaceti sounds like an Italian dish

[@factsinmotion3978]

Funny and gross at the same time. You did a good job

[@doinkfloink7560]

I don't want to know what's in it

[@This_Guy55]

doink floink I think we both already know ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@yaboicryingseal5889]

Corne Koorn ikr

[@dejectd2972]

Corne Koorn vermicelli 😂

[@sole4452]

Just something to think about. Recent studies have found that sperm whales are actually very intelligent with parts of the brain used for communication and independent thought bigger then humams

[@WildBillCox13]

I'm with you there. There is underwater footage of a sperm whale stealing toothfish from a long line off the coast of Alaska. The care and precision with which it works this odd, low energy, game has to be seen to be fully appreciated. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6HEn4mllJiijLM We have a tendency to undervalue intelligence that does not result in hardware fabrication and usage of obvious tools. Sperm Whales and Elephants, particularly, have not been rated fairly in the west, specifically because we targeted them for profitable industry. Otherwise, they are quite bright, in their venue able to solve problems that would leave us scratching our heads. Animal intelligence is not in short supply, but our understanding of it is.

[@izaac7777]

I was about to say that the first fact is already wrong.

[@DCombz]

There's also that video of a group of sperm whales adopting a deformed dolphin that would have likely died without them since it can't keep up with normal dolphins and I think that's a huge demonstration of intelligence. Margaret Mead said that the earliest sign of civilization is a healed femur because it's the biggest bone in the body so if those sperm whales were able to help raise that dolphin with a severely deformed back what does that say?

[@NazriB]

Lies again? SAF SPF Squirt Water

[@sole4452]

@@NazriB what

[@hadogenes5049]

OMG thanks for being the first channel to have distinguished the difference between giant and colossal squid, almost every other channel that has done a video on anything relating giant squid have got it wrong. Great job!

[@zennyfieldster4220]

I can really see this channel taking off!!! Keep up the great work!!!

[@factsinmotion3978]

I hope so ;)

[@megaball-ps8tq]

Thanks for supporting the channel :)

[@Isichernit]

🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@Shvetsario]

Now it’s nearly at half a million subscribers.

[@nateroyer6247]

I love how you take your time. Makes your channel better than most

[@F4Effort]

Because of course we would use waxy whale poo to make high end perfumes. XD

[@WildBillCox13]

"Humans are fixated on poop and genitals. And I'm out of cocaine again. Damn!" -Sigmund Freud.

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

Jake Furmaga the "whale poop" or grey amber worth his weight in gold, litteraly.

[@Sterlingjob]

It’s vomit is it not?

[@WildBillCox13]

We were taught the "acceptable" version of the story as children. It's pooh, all right.

[@MrScateboy]

Sterlingjob yeah I’m pretty sure it is

[@rarink123]

Man the animation looks nice. I cnt even imagine how long it took to make this! Great video!

[@nicolethomas2893]

Just subscribed, really enjoyed this and hope the channel takes off!

[@factsinmotion3978]

Thanks. Time will tell ;) I guess.

[@macoycoolgaming531]

Facts in Motion I subscribe too :)

[@hamsacc]

Nicole Thomas me too

[@erezheisenberg7701]

Wow! U gain 1k subs in one day! Amazing, this channel is blowing up really quick.

[@dee-dee1382]

I can just imagine my mom throwing ambergris back into the ocean not knowing how much it's worth

[@factsinmotion3978]

Haha - sounds like a mom thing to do.

[@rejvaik00]

Be very careful the possession or sale of Ambergris is illegal in the US since the 1973 Endangered Species Act regardless if found naturally on beaches. So your mom made the correct choice.

[@dilksjoel]

Unneeded family insight

[@AmelandVandaag]

Ecomare on the island of Texel built a beautifull museum for the spermwhale that was payd with ambergris.

[@deadchannel7089]

@@rejvaik00 My brain hurts after I read this

[@mybluemars]

I don't buy the relative brain size mumbo jumbo. It is known that whales have a complex language and they are relatively smart.

[@tibinicle]

Matt Bruce actually, whales won the space race

[@Blazin_Tundra]

You earned a new sub:)

[@nicoleleah9734]

Okay. Pack your bags! We're going out hunting sperm whale crap!

[@wafulamasikaAbbottjesselove]

THIS WHALE SHITS GOLD. AND WAS STILL HUNTED DOWN FOR CANDLES. THAT'S LIKE CONVERTING A GOLDMINE TO A BAR

[@guydives1246]

facts about colossal squid, great vid as always!

[@redpower6956]

Amazing video! Please keep making these incredible videos.

[@jackievarughese3945]

I hope you talk about the Mosasaur in a future video

[@megaball-ps8tq]

Same

[@yzm2065]

Now hold on a minute. While the value of ~230 dB produced by the sperm whale is true, that does NOT mean that that value should be interpreted the same way we interpret things in air. Thats why your example is flawed because it assumes that a comparison of sound between the Sperm Whale's clicks and a jet engine are on an even playing field when they absolutely are not. Water is significantly denser than air so sound levels will feel significantly suppressed even if the measurement is the same. Also, the standard "baseline" for sound is different in air than in water, which also increases this disparity.

[@atl3630]

Yiorgio Mathioudakis divers have been literally knocked unconscious underwater after being blast by a whales song or clicks. It's fooking loud man. Jet engine doesn't know you out.

[@blakebrockhaus347]

atl3630 yeah, but a saturn v launch is 220 and that ignites grass a mile away due to the sound alone. If you were hit point blank by something that loud in the air you would be obliterated.

[@DW-vl2wi]

Alan Brockhaus Actually a grenade is much worse in water because of increased density, same with sound.

[@howyoulookrightnow5897]

Just know if you take the full force of 210+ decibels it is completely possible to die on spot

[@timax4114]

Divers have been paralyzed by the clicks of the sperm whale

[@marlineharrold1937]

Thanks a lot for this. 😃

[@xbpbat21x]

Facts without research...awesome.

[@doublebass3858]

Here before 1m subs

[@bjornsmit3313]

Its gonna take a very long time

[@moresothanyou]

Bjorn Smit probably gonna take several month, I'll give it 7-8 month

[@tijojose7966]

Me too. There are currently over 64,000 subscribers. [December 28th 2017]

[@yourownpersonalexistential2470]

Costello the Squid well duh Facts doesn’t even have 100 thousand yet.

[@metallicarequiem2936]

1 meter?

[@jcortese3300]

Have been watching all your videos and enjoyed this early one. One more fact for you: they're called capodoglio in Italian (oil-head, which is pretty self-evident as names go).

[@one-of-us9939]

Thank you... I learned today!

[@johnnydepp235]

Amazing video.

[@roberth.goddardthefatherof6376]

Cool little channel you've got here, it's bound to reach 100k subs within a year.

[@factsinmotion3978]

that would be great!

[@the4thtomato138]

Well now its at 500k. Nice

[@SilentHobo]

How can you make the statement that these animals "aren't particularly intelligent" if they can talk to each other from across the planet and accent a thousand distinct micro clicks per second?

[@otakuka3077]

Subscribed. Nice and compact information. Easy to follow animations. Keep going sir. I hope this channel keeps growing!

[@user-oy6fo6by7q]

Hey just here before milion of viewers and subs .. Just to say great info and awesome video keep up the good work

[@rmsb1984]

The brain to body weight ratio to distinguish intelligence is the most inaccurate logic people can come up with. Shrew is not the most intelligent creature and definitely not more intelligent than humans despite the fact it has one of the most, if not the most, highest brain to body ratio. Elephants have lower brain to body ratio than shrew even to a mouse but most scientific communities accept elephants as one of the most intelligent mamalls base on how they socialize, solve a problem and even remember things, such as locations they visit to mourne their deceased.

[@xenobyteedm9761]

That's some expensive shit!!

[@yahiaaymankamaly3518]

DR0N3 and Xenobyte EDM LITERALLY

[@emilybehnke8004]

Great video. You gained a subscriber !

[@WildBillCox13]

Loved the scale graphic between whale, prey, and human.

[@pete2389]

Why are Sperm Whales never credited as the largest carnivorous animal on earth?

[@drteatrex2719]

Blue whales are the largest predators, they are a predator of krill I guess

[@pete2389]

@@drteatrex2719 True, I forgot they eat meat

[@killgoretrout9000]

Because blue whales are bigger

[@Renegade-jk4ux]

They are considered the largest carnivore on earth by most scientists.

[@pete2389]

@@Renegade-jk4ux since the other reply is deleted: blue whales are carnivorous

[@jonn443]

This guy sounds like the personal assistant of Keyser Soze.

[@keysersoze6330]

You mean mr kobayashi

[@tabz2489]

Keep this up. Ur animation is good and simple. Very educational.

[@hamidkhan262]

Overall a nice video. The last fact was superb. All the best.

[@sequalsr2550]

One animal's shit is gold for another animal.

[@Maurice_Moss]

spermaceti is thought to also help with buoyancy, as the density of it can be controlled by the whale, which helps it drive and return to the surface. It's like wax, and melts at body temperature, hence why it was in such demand for candles etc

[@mooneagle31]

Great work man

[@factsinmotion3978]

thanks

[@deomapile1721]

I love the style of the videos you make keep it up #Subscribed

[@wcshadoww]

Well im going to a unknown island to go hunt some whale shit

[@reymichaelsungazornosa4040]

lmao hahaha please send some too

[@puppichow]

Takes the whole new meaning to filthy rich!

[@illuminatil5848]

Bashar Al Ani wait for me bro im comeing

[@projectkepleren]

69 like

[@mrsarmy5136]

I’m your 69th like

[@brianaisawesome6580]

Many people who study them believe them to be much more intelligent. Hmmm

[@theantisocial1-]

A few of these facts contradict some of my personal research butt good job 👍🏼

[@siddhantasahoo7640]

great work

[@factsinmotion3978]

thanks!

[@dyland5847]

Nice video, but there is plenty of evidence that sperm whales, like other cetaceans, are highly intelligent despite their brain to body ratio. Particularly the limbic system, which deals with emotions and higher functions associated with conscious creatures, is highly developed and much larger than a humans, proportionally to the rest of the brain. They also have an entire lobe we lack called the paralimbic. So sperm whales are highly intelligent and emotional animals.

[@stephenwaldron4213]

"Ooh, is that a new parfum you are wearing, how lovely. You have to tell me what fragrance it is! Is it lavender? Perhaps a rare and exotic traditional oriental musk?" "Sperm whale shit"

[@territorycrocboss6404]

Cool

[@Lubna12316]

Very interesting

[@bodinmagosson]

German accent?

[@leopoldvonschock3880]

The best.

[@antonwesley1078]

#2) So it's exactly what you think

[@FiddleWiddle]

I've learned a lot from your channel

[@coryrowe1695]

This guy's voice. 😂 It's great.

[@jorgelegarreta8249]

Do a video about squids

[@thepizzaisaggressive1823]

the giant ones?

[@cbmedia6850]

Do a video on 5 facts about blue whales

[@shaunapinnock7303]

crystal pepsi , Then, Humpies, please! ❤️😍🐳🐋

[@VP-qe2qe]

Your voice is so calming

[@mitchellhogg4627]

Germans and Austrians are the Kings of explaining things...I cant think of a more satisfying accent...

[@golisopodsunandmoon5737]

So sperm whales swim and sperm cells swim? Nice

[@genehakman9422]

Ok video, but I just watched a video by a marine biologist who was talking about how highly developed their brain is and how intelligent they are - the opposite of your #1. Hell, anyone who's read Moby Dick knows that.

[@Arcsecant]

Gene Hakman Very intelligent like open a bank account intelligent, or intelligent like a cow of the Sea?

[@genehakman9422]

Arcsecant more like the pig of the sea - pigs are highly intelligent. Is opening a bank account something that you are personally proud of yourself for doing?

[@Arcsecant]

Gene Hakman Pigs are highly intelligent like solve a Rubik's cube, or highly intelligent like people who comment how intelligent pigs are?

[@genehakman9422]

Arcsecant intelligent like someone commenting on the comments of other peoples' farm animal comments. They are also an outstanding fuck if you have time when not commenting on other people's comments.

[@Arcsecant]

Gene Hakman Intelligent like me!? That *is* intelligent. I understand now. Thank you, may you have strong wishes!

[@shaunapinnock7303]

I really enjoyed this video! It’s a breath of fresh air. I just love your presentation! ❤️💯

[@factsinmotion3978]

Thanks!

[@shaunapinnock7303]

Facts in Motion , You are most welcome, dear.

[@TheSoloist1Alone]

I’m so intrigued by this animal, I don’t know why🤷🏾‍♂️🙏🏾💯

[@CriticalGamingYT143]

Now they can 5000 m deep

[@user-xe7fv8xc2k]

Decibel should be "dB".

[@andrewmacedo9570]

ภูมิ สิทธิสมวงศ์ thai

[@tongpae02]

マセドアンドリュー what is *thai* ?

[@user-xe7fv8xc2k]

?

[@user-xe7fv8xc2k]

@the mark, I think he/she wants to emphasize that my name is in Thai (language) but I don't know why.

[@tongpae02]

ภูมิ สิทธิสมวงศ์ oh ok, is a language

[@justdoit3708]

more plz😋

[@damirces]

I was watching another video about them and was also interesting fact that when they're sleeping they positioning themselves vertically and sleep very shortly less then one hour. The picture of them was really amazing while they are doing that...

[@biharibabu9141]

Wow literally shitting money , good for you fish.

[@shaunapinnock7303]

bihari babu , It’s not a fish, dear.

[@theangryslav9115]

5.7 k subs? pffft.

[@lillycastitatis6807]

+3.3k subs in a day bro I can see this channel taking off

[@thisismyfirstusernameimade3007]

10k now

[@yukiecyrus7385]

Men i love you jazz music background!

[@WilAdams]

I knew them all. However, your presentation was soothing.

[@jermaine6005]

the 1st fact was very wrong and very bad

[@Joseph-zn7vo]

First

[@omx.6662]

EPIC

[@Steventhesong]

Actually very interesting information about the sperm whale. I did a presentation on spermwhales back in highschool for our endangered species project amd i didnt know most of these things

[@KhoaLe-uc2ny]

Do they fertile egg whales?

[@jackievarughese3945]

Việt Khoa Lê What do you mean ?

[@KhoaLe-uc2ny]

TheJackie Varughese learn basic biology sonny.

[@jackievarughese3945]

Việt Khoa Lê The way you worded it doesn't make sense bro

[@eriktran9682]

Việt Khoa Lê learn basic spelling sonny

[@KhoaLe-uc2ny]

Erik Tran there I’ve fixed it now leave me alone.

[@benlaskowski357]

The most expensive dump in the world. THAT joke had me rolling!!!

[@darkdragon1194]

Also want to point out that sound in water is measured differently than sound in air. So if you were to convert the 230db to db in air it would be somewhere around 180

[@Midnight_Snakk]

I could fall asleep whilst listening to this.

[@bella_iris]

I really enjoy the narrator's voice.

[@jessliedelacruz6969]

Can you do a 10 facts about Helicoprion sharks

[@riekumar6999]

This channel will hit 1m subs in no time.

[@nerdomatic2489]

"Nice voice and I knew all of these... They boring--" *Ambergris Grey Amber is said to be worth from 10,000 to 100,000 dollars* "Okay I got my scuba suit - Time to go searching for Sperm Whale dumps!"

[@alexmontgomery255]

I didn’t know about the myoglobin. Also, I worked on the KC-135A Stratotanker which used J57 turbojet engines with an output of 165 dB at takeoff.

[@clippedwings225]

Damn I'm gonna spend my Summer at the beach XD

[@TheWizardYeof]

Sweet dreams are made of this

[@Syngrafer]

What's the song that starts at 00:18? I've tried scouring through your links, and I couldn't find it.

[@factsinmotion3978]

Bears conference - Lobo Loco

[@Syngrafer]

Thank you!

[@noblelement]

"if you have the misfortune of standing next to a j̶e̶t̶ ̶e̶n̶g̶i̶n̶e̶, Moluccan Cockatoo, you'd only experience a 150dB sound."

[@niklastorshagen6365]

It's incredible to me how those jaws looks so useless, but apparently are very effective

[@manos3790]

Knowledge is everything. In April 2001, I found a sizable lump of 'ambergris' on a Dorset beach. In Jan '13 there was a find of ambergris on a Northumberland beach...... I threw my find back into the flotsam believing it was a chemical spill. Devastated to say the least........

[@TheJaysteven]

do you self animate these ? love the videos man ! subbed

[@factsinmotion3978]

Yup. Have to do everything on my own. Which is also why I cant upload that frequently. Try to do it once a week but in reality its more like once every 10 days or so. And thanks ; )

[@GeneralWagner]

as far I remember, the Mig-31 sound is above 250 DB... is much more than a couple of f-16. is basically a constant bomb blast

[@Wolfman-tx1ne]

I have corona and I’m watching all of these videos

[@DannleChannel]

Since this is a factual, scientific video, I have to point out something about the representation of a sperm whale in the artwork and animation: sperm whales don't have teeth in their upper jaw; the only have teeth in the lower jaw, which fit into corresponding sockets in the upper jaw.

[@LisaTheesa]

"Feel the wind, and know someone will always be there."

[@bryann3305]

I like the accent and the way the narrator speak

[@crazypolite]

The spermaceti's function is that the whale solidifies it (more or less) when descending. It makes them sink faster

[@zekiah2]

The spermaceti is used to affect buoyancy as the wax sinks when solid and floats when liquid. The the melting point is low enough that the whales can melt it with their body heat. This allows the whales to swim from deep ocean to the surface without rupturing a gas filled swim blatter.

[@kevinhartmemes3821]

Another thing about sperm whales, and another thing that is now known about sleeper sharks