South West Canterbury

In this information report you are going to hear questions about sperm whales for example What do sperm whales feed.

How old do sperm whales have to be to mate?

Female sperm whales need to be at least 7-13 years old and 8.3-9.2 meters long. They only mate every 3-6 years. Also the female sperm whales try to give birth in tropical waters because it is warmer for them and their calves. Male sperm whales aren’t sexually active until they are 18. Also they should be 11-12 meters long.

How do sperm whales feed?

Females dive to at least 3,280 feet just to get their food which is 999.7 meters the percentage of the female's diet is 80% of their diet is  giant squid the left over 20% is made up of Octopus, fish, crab, shrimp and even small bottom living sharks. Males diet  is the same but they dive to at least 3,936 feet and in meters that is 1199.7 meters.

Are male and female sperm whales different sizes?

Males and females are the same size but here are the sizes for the ages they are all different. Old Adult is usually 18 metres long Normal Adult is 9 meters an immature is 12 metres and a calf is 4.5.

What do Sperm Whales eat?

Sperm whales eat giant squid, fish, octopus, crab, small bottom living sharks and shrimp. Both males and females eat the same food. Sperm whales have to hold their breathe for at least ninety minutes so that they can dive to the bottom of the ocean to get their food especially giant squid. Imagine holding your breathe for ninety minutes.

Are male and female sperm whales different sizes?

Males and females are the same size but here are the sizes for the ages are all different. Old Adult is usually 18 metres long Normal Adult is 9 meters an immature is 12 metres and a valve is 4.5.

Where do sperm whales live?

Sperm whales can be found in any ocean because they are divided into the top side of the equator and the bottom under the equator that divides the world. The females and the baby whales from the species spend more time in the temperate regions than the males. The females and the baby whales migrate to the north too but they come a while after the males because they usually stay in the temperate regions for longer. The males like to move around the place and spend less time in the temperate regions. Instead they like to range from the equator to the polar regions. These places are colder than the temperate regions because the word polar means the north or south poles.

5 facts about sperm whales are:

1. This is the largest of the toothed whales.
2. They are also the largest toothed predators of the other animals.
3. The sperm whales were used when NZ ( New Zealand) was first discovered by the Maori people. This was used for food. Scientist have estimated that there may be two hundred thousand or even one million sperm whales left out in the wild.
4. It may seem like there are heaps but there are heaps being killed each year.
5. Soon there won’t be any sperm whales left because they are getting killed for their meat and oil.

Creative Plan

We are going to make…….	Collage
The resources we’ll need will be (coloured paper, paint, small box, poster paper…)	Coloured paper, Sperm whale pictures and maps peice of cardboard.
Sketch a picture plan here and insert into this document.
Make it
Take a photo of the finished product and insert this into the document.