Sperm whale has the largest brain on Earth, more than five times heavier than a human's. Sperm whales can live for more than 60 years. Spermaceti (sperm oil), from which the whale derives its name, was a prime target of the whaling industry, and was sought after for use in oil lamps, lubricants, and candles. Ambergris, a solid waxy waste product sometimes present in its digestive system, is still highly valued as a fixative in perfumes, among other uses. Beachcombers look out for ambergris as flotsam. Sperm whaling was a major industry in the nineteenth century, immortalised in the novel "Moby Dick".
Cryptid whale female individual on Orkney, saying its dorsal fins was similar to a "mizzen mast", and the whale, based on Sibbald’s account, was described as "P. tursio". However, naturalist Georges Cuvier disregarded Sibbald’s claim as a bad description of the carcass, as well as dismissing the name "P. tursio". Another alleged sighting was off the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 27, 1946, where the creature was apparently trapped there for 2 days. Its length was estimated to be between . The Alula whale, or the Alula Killer, or "Orcinus mörzer-bruynsus", was discussed and illustrated for the first time, but