Definition of Physeter macrocephalus. Meaning of Physeter macrocephalus. Synonyms of Physeter macrocephalus

Here you will find one or more explanations in English for the word Physeter macrocephalus. Also in the bottom left of the page several parts of wikipedia pages related to the word Physeter macrocephalus and, of course, Physeter macrocephalus synonyms and on the right images related to the word Physeter macrocephalus.

Definition of Physeter macrocephalus

Physeter macrocephalus
Sperm whale Sperm" whale` (Zo["o]l.) A very large toothed whale (Physeter macrocephalus), having a head of enormous size. The upper jaw is destitute of teeth. In the upper part of the head, above the skull, there is a large cavity, or case, filled with oil and spermaceti. This whale sometimes grows to the length of more than eighty feet. It is found in the warmer parts of all the oceans. Called also cachalot, and spermaceti whale. Pygmy sperm whale (Zo["o]l.), a small whale (Kogia breviceps), seldom twenty feet long, native of tropical seas, but occasionally found on the American coast. Called also snub-nosed cachalot. Sperm-whale porpoise (Zo["o]l.), a toothed cetacean (Hypero["o]don bidens), found on both sides of the Atlantic and valued for its oil. The adult becomes about twenty-five feet long, and its head is very large and thick. Called also bottle-nosed whale.
Physeter macrocephalus
Ambergris Am"ber*gris, n. [F. ambre gris, i. e., gray amber; F. gris gray, which is of German origin: cf. OS. gr[^i]s, G. greis, gray-haired. See Amber.] A substance of the consistence of wax, found floating in the Indian Ocean and other parts of the tropics, and also as a morbid secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), which is believed to be in all cases its true origin. In color it is white, ash-gray, yellow, or black, and often variegated like marble. The floating masses are sometimes from sixty to two hundred and twenty-five pounds in weight. It is wholly volatilized as a white vapor at 212[deg] Fahrenheit, and is highly valued in perfumery. --Dana.
Physeter macrocephalus
Cachalot Cach"a*lot, n. [F. cachalot.] (Zo["o]l.) The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). It has in the top of its head a large cavity, containing an oily fluid, which, after death, concretes into a whitish crystalline substance called spermaceti. See Sperm whale.

Meaning of Physeter macrocephalus from wikipedia

- (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and...
- Physeter is a genus of toothed whales. There is only one living species in this genus: the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Some extremely poorly...
- 5 m (44–57 ft), almost similar to that of the modern sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), making it one of the largest predators known to have existed....
- given to a rogue albino (or possibly leucistic) male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) that lived in the southeastern Pacific Ocean in the early 19th...
- fossil representatives of both families are known. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest species of toothed whale, with adult bulls (males)...
- S. & Whitehead, H. (2000). "The Diet of Galapagos sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus as indicated by faecal sample analysis". Marine Mammal Science....
- as a close relative to Aulophyseter and the modern sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Bisconti, M.; Daniello, R.; Stecca, R.; Carnevale, G. "A new Pliocene...
- melas), Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Their distribution is highly...
- purse-seine fishing operations; there are attacks on sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), and one instance against a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)...
- accessed October 2, 2010. Whitehead, Hal (2018). "Sperm Whale: Physeter macrocephalus". Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals: 919–925. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804327-1...