The diet of pygmy sperm whales, Kogia breviceps, stranded in New Zealand: implications for conservation. Dwarf sperm whales can dive at least 1,000 feet deep in search of food. The distributional ranges … Giant sperm whales also tend to rip off limbs for no reason, and thereafter the surviving dwarf may start a grudge with the whale that may spell doom for dozens of dwarves.This article is about the current version of DF. Sperm whales eat prey found on or near the ocean bottom, squid is their main diet but they also eat sharks and various bony fish. Breeding takes place in autumn while … Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand, p 47,Candela SM (1987) Cephalopod prey of pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (,Clarke MR (1962) The indentification of cephalopod ‘beaks’ and relationship between beak size and total body weight. Join us, volunteer and be a part of our journey of discovery!The Pygmy Sperm Whale is a small robust whale.The head of the Pygmy Sperm Whale is short and supports a bulbous snout that becomes blunter with age. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, pp 90–93,Lu CC, Clarke MR (1975) Vertical distribution of cephalopods at 11°N, 20°W in the North Atlantic. . REPRODUCTION. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. The Pygmy Sperm Whale's diet largely consists of a variety of squid and cuttlefish however they are also known to take shrimp, crabs and some fish. Fisheries Research 52:99–12,dos Santos RA, Haimovici M (2002) Cephalopods in the trophic relations off southern Brazil. Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 5 years.The gestation lasts about 9-11 months and can apparently occurs every year, because the nursing lasts one year. Pygmy Sperm Whale feed on predominantly on squid but also on bottom fish and crabs. Subscription will auto renew annually.Baird RW, Nelson D, Lien J, Nagorsen DW (1994) The status of the pygmy sperm whale,Barros NB, Clarke MR (2002) In: Perrin WF, Würsig B, Thewissen JGM (eds) The encyclopedia of marine mammals, Academic Press, San Diego. Thank you for reading.Bryden, M., Marsh, H. and Shaughnessy, P. 1998.Reeves, R. R., Stewart, B. S., Clapham, P. J. and Powell, J. Oftentimes . Project Discover is creating a renewed museum to match its world-class collection.In this section, there's a wealth of information about our collections of scientific specimens and cultural objects. DIET. Giant sperm whales are really, REALLY giant—they are even bigger than a real-world blue whale. The gestation period is thought to be about 12 months and it appears likely that females give birth on a yearly basis.Generally regarded more as a common species rather than abundant, the threat the Pygmy Sperm Whale faces is not direct hunting, although this does occur. J Marine Biol Asso UK 83:651–665.Martins HR, Clarke MR, Reiner F, Santos RS (1985) A pygmy sperm whale.Nelson D, Desbrosse A, Lien J, Ostrom P, Seton R (1991) A new stranding record of the pygmy sperm whale,O’Shea, S (1999) The marine fauna of New Zealand: Octopoda (Mollusca:Cephalopoda). [PETVALUE:500] They appear to be slow moving and inactive especially on the surface, a behaviour trait that probably makes them vulnerable to shark attack and collision with boats.The Pygmy Sperm Whale's diet largely consists of a variety of squid and cuttlefish however they are also known to take shrimp, crabs and some fish. This organ is a sac of oil that helps the whales produce sound. The whale makes very inconspicuous movements. South African J Marine Sci 12:843–861,Tuohy M, Stratton M, Duignan P, Jones G, Davies A, Smith MH, Quirk J, Van Helden A, Plön S, Baker CS (2001) Pygmy sperm whale (,Vidal O (1987) Recent records of pygmy sperm whales in the Gulf of California, Mexico. 1414 pp,Brabyn MW (1991) An analysis of the New Zealand whale stranding record. So it was a bit of a different experience -- this guy was not too happy that we were around.”,1 being least likely, and 10 being most likely. These little-known dolphinlike whales are gray above and white below, and they are quite small—about 2.5 to 4 metres (8 to 13 feet) long. Its dive is equally lacking in grand flourish - it simply drops out of view. Breaching has been observed, but is not common. Claredon Press, Oxford,Clarke MR (1996a) The role of cephalopods in the world’s oceans: general conclusions and the future. First Online: 21 March 2007. They helped get the animal to deeper water and after it was released was last seen swimming quickly toward the open ocean.Reid said he believed it was the first time his group had responded to a beaching of a dwarf sperm whale.Last year a pygmy sperm whale, which is very similar to a dwarf sperm, got into trouble in Halifax Harbour and later was found dead on the shores of McNabs Island.Reid and other response group members have responded to many whale incidents over the years but he said the satisfaction of helping an animal in distress never gets old.“Oh definitely,” he said. Museum Victoria Sci Rep 6:1–65,MacLeod CD, Santos MB, Pierce GJ (2003) Review of data on diets of beaked whales: evidence of niche separation and geographic segregation. Pygmy sperm whales are able to eat larger prey than dwarf sperm whales, although their diet as a whole is relatively similar. The dwarf sperm whale releases a huge cloud like an octopus as a defence mechanism to confuse predators that attack it like Orca's and Great White Sharks to escape.