Sperm whale research program, The Dominica Sperm Whale Project, has been in operation since 2005. The introduction of plastic waste to the ocean environment by humans is new. Sperm whales have occasionally been found with pieces of plastic in their stomachs. Sperm whale The sperm whale ("Physeter macrocephalus") or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus "Kogia". The sperm whale is a pelagic
Right whale single female, suggesting that sperm competition is an important factor in mating behavior. Although the blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, the testes of the right whale are actually ten times larger than those of the blue whale – with each weighing up to , they are by far the largest of any animal on Earth. Gestation tends to last a year, and calves are born at in weight and in length. Weaning occurs after eight months. Right whales were a preferred target for whalers because of their docile nature, their slow surface-skimming feeding behaviors, their tendency