Like its giant cousin, the Sperm Whale, the pygmy sperm whale has a spermaceti
organ in its forehead (see Sperm Whale page). It also has a sac in its intestines
that contains a dark red fluid. The whale will expel this fluid when frightened.
Its purpose is believed to be to confuse and disorient predators.

The Pygmy Sperm is amongst the smallest of all whales and is not much larger than many dolphins.

There has been debate and differing opinion as to the correct classification of the Pygmy and Dwarf
Sperm Whales (see sperm whale family for details). The two were widely considered to be the same species,
until 1966, when a scientist at the Smithsonian Institution definitively diagnosed them as separate species

Facts