Sperm Whale vs Giant Squid

Sperm Whale vs Giant Squid

My wife and I spent the day volunteering in our old school.  We were helping with the 
dissection of squid...NOT Giant Squid, but doing that gave me the idea for today's drawing
.  I realized why I had to quit teaching Science.  I found it very dificult, albeit fun to be there
 and help the small groups with their squid dissection.  These were small squid, only about 
5-10 inches long.  Students were learning about the different body systems...you know, 
respiratory, digestive, muscular, sensory, reproductive, & etc. So I guess I remembered why 
I can't teach school anymore, but I ALSO remembered how much I love teaching 
Science to 7th graders.  
Maybe I do this blog sometimes to teach you, my readers a bit of Science too. 

Photo of small squid

The Sperm Whale is one of the most amazing animal in the ocean.  They live in all oceans and they can do amazing things.  They are also one of the largest animals on Earth (I mean in the ocean) and the largest toothed animal.  A sperm whale can get to be 67  feet long (20 meters), and weigh up to 130,000 lbs (about 59,000 kg ).  So they weigh around 65 tons.   Males are bigger than females.

Females give birth after a gestation (pregnancy) period of   months.  The mother will care for the young, called a calf, for up to ten years.  For over two years of that time the mother nurses her young calf.  The adult females and young travel in a pod.  A group of whales is called a pod.  The adult males live a solitary life.

Sperm whales can dive down into very deep ocean water...around 7,400 feet deep.  (That is 2256 meters.)  They use echolocation to "see" or to be aware of where their prey is.  It is so deep at that depth that you or I would be crushed to mush from the water pressure.  Sperm whales can handle that pressure.  Being mammals they have to hold their breath for a long time.  When they surface they exhale and that is the "spray or spout" that people see.  A sperm whale can hold his or her breath for 90 minutes...that is an hour and a half.

Whaling or hunting of Sperm Whales is now illegal worldwide.  Their population suffered during the 1800's during the heyday of whaling. Their oil from their fat was used to light lamps all over the world.  The discovery of the uses of petroleum put an end to whaling for whale oil.  During the days of whaling the captured Sperm Whales would often be covered in round scars.  Those scars were from the suction cups on Giant Squid tentacles.  Giant Squid are the favorite food of Sperm Whales.  The stomachs of caught Sperm Whales often had a Giant Squid inside of it.

Giant Squid are one of the least known of all animals in the ocean.  They can grow to be up to 43 feet (13 meters) for females and 33 feet (10 meters) for males.   Yes the females are bigger.  This is the opposite of Sperm Whale sexual dimorphism.  Sexual dimorphism means the difference in size and or appearance in males and females of the same species.  Squid have 2 tentacles and 8 arms.  The arms have the suction cups and the tentacles are longer.  Squid have a special colorful organelle in their cells so they can change the color of their spots...often to multicolored.  They use this trait to camouflage themselves and probably to communicate with other squid.  I don't "know" if Giant Squid can do that, but we can assume.  So have some fun with your coloring of the giant squid.

The fight of two of the biggest animals in the sea must be a sight to see.  As far as I know it has never been filmed or even photographed.  Most submarines can't even go deep enough to film that battle!