The species feeds primarily on squid but to some extent on fish, diving as deep as 3 kilometres (9,800 ft), which makes it the deepest diving mammal. It has a cosmopolitan distribution across the oceans. For large males, the head can represent up to one-third of the animal's length. A mature male can grow to 20.5 metres (67 ft) long. It is one of three extant species in the sperm whale superfamily, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf spermwhale. The now outdated synonym Physeter catodon refers to the same species. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale (odontocete) having the largest brain of any animal. Sperm Whale (Bull) - Physeter macrocephalus The blue whale diet consists almost exclusively of euphausiids (krill). indica in the Northern Indian Ocean, and B. brevicauda (the pygmy blue whale) in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, B. musculus in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, B.

There are currently five subspecies of blue whale, recognized by the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Committee on Taxonomy: B. The blue whale’s long and slender body can be various shades of grayish-blue dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 feet) and weight of 173 tonnes (190 tons), it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen whale suborder Mysticeti.

Blue whale vs killer whale size