Back to School: Sperm Whale - Oceana USA
Home / Blog / Back to School: Sperm Whale

August 27, 2009

Back to School: Sperm Whale

BY: tmarshall

Responsible Fishing

Sperm whales are named for the waxy oil in their head, spermaceti. Used in many industries ranging from cosmetics to automotive, spermaceti drove whalers to target sperm whales and they are now listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Due to their size, however, sperm whales have been known to fight back, famously attacking and sinking the whaling ship, Essex, the ship Moby Dick is based upon. Learn more about these large predators and other animals in the Creature Corner.

MOST RECENT

Up Next:

FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Plastic Pollution

Oceana campaigns to stop plastic pollution at the source — by working to pass local, state, and national policies that reduce the production and use of unnecessary single-use plastic and move toward refill and reuse systems.

Learn More

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Ending the Shark Fin Trade

Protecting Ocean Habitats

Responsible Fishing

View All

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT WITH A DONATION

We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.

Donate Here

Become a Wavemaker

Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.

Gift Center
Employment Opportunities
Contact
Financials
Privacy Policy

REGIONAL SITES :

International
Europe
Chile
Canada
Belize
Philippines
Brazil
Peru
Mexico

FIND OCEANA

TWEET TO SHARE OUR MESSAGE

Twitter