[sci] Sperm Whale

Common name: Kogia breviceps (de Blainville, 1838) Other names: Lesser Sperm Whale, Short-headed Sperm Whale, Lesser Cachalot Habitat: Global habitats, mainly in warm and tropical oceans Summary of the Pygmy Sperm Whale in Chinese newspaper: On 22/7, in Big Wave Bay, Sai Kung, a Pygmy Sperm Whale was found lying lifeless, injuries everywhere. Professors, students and villagers etc. tried to carry it back on the sea with all their might. The sperm whale, begging for alive for 16 hours, was yelping continuously. Professors finally did their worst decision – kill it by humane means. Certification and solution The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department had certified that the victim was a child sperm whale. They thought that a possible reason was that the child sperm whale was separated from its mother by the strong wind. The professor didn’t mean killing the sperm whale, but it’s the only way to solve the problem. People’s assessment on this issue: People are doubt about whether killing the sperm whale by humane means was right or not Announcement of Ocean Park professors: They believed that the sperm whale was getting weaker and weaker as time passed, and there’s no water to maintain its weight. So, its weight made an extremely high pressure on the sperm whale’s organs, so the professors finally decided to kill it by humane means. Possible reason of getting into Hong Kong’s sea territory: The sperm whale might be got lost and was separated with others, so it came here and caused the incident accidentally.

Ng Chu Him

Report on the Sperm Whale 1

MSA Activity

What did they do next? The government arranged a mechanical car to dig a 12 metres deep hole for burying the pygmy sperm whale. The ecologists decided to make a specimen for the sperm whale and made use of it for future research. Some details of the sperm whale: Length - 9.7 metres long Weight – about 30 tons Sex: male Age: 6-7 Habitat: Thousand metres deep in the ocean

Ng Chu Him

Report on the Sperm Whale 2

MSA Activity