Connecticut State Mammal: Sperm Whale

Nature 2 Minutes

Connecticut designated the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) the official state animal in 1975.

The sperm whale played a significant role in the history of Connecticut (in the 1800’s Connecticut ranked second only to Massachusetts in the whaling industry). The sperm whale is now on the federal endangered species list.

The largest of the toothed whales, sperm whales grow to 70 feet in length and can weigh 59 tons. The brain of the sperm whale is the largest of any animal (reaching up to 20 pounds). The sperm whale was immortalized as Herman Melville’s leviathan “Moby Dick.”

Among whales, the sperm whale is unique in both appearance and social behavior. The enormous box- like head sets it apart physically from other whales. Females and their young travel in permanent units (pods), while the much larger males rove between breeding and feeding grounds, and also among groups of females when breeding. Sperm whales are among the deepest diving cetaceans, capable of diving two miles in search of deep water squid, their main food source (a sperm whale consumes about one ton of food each day – squid, fish, skate, octopus, etc.). Sperm whales can be found in all oceans of the world.

Members of a whale pod form strong and long lasting bonds. They protect young calves and the sick or injured of their pod. Other females protect a calf that is not yet capable of deep diving while the mother dives for food.

From Sperm Whale: American Cetacean Society Fact Sheet:

The sperm whale’s head houses a large reservoir containing spermaceti, a clear liquid oil that hardens to a wax- like consistency when cold, and has long been prized by whalers. Ambergris (a strange substance found in large lumps in the lower intestine of sperm whales, formed around squid beaks that remain in the stomach) was used in the making of perfume, and continues to be valuable in spite of its widespread replacement by synthetics.

Sperm whales are still fairly numerous, but selective killing of the larger breeding-age males over many years upset the male-to-female ratio, and the birth rate has seriously declined in some populations. Sperm whales were killed in two massive hunts, the Moby Dick whalers who worked mainly between 1740-1880, and the modern whalers whose operations peaked in 1964, when 29,255 were killed. Most recent estimates suggest a global population of about 360,000 animals down from about 1,100,000 before whaling.

SOURCE: STATE SYMBOLS USA


Published by pat frederick

Published

58 thoughts on “Connecticut State Mammal: Sperm Whale”

  1. Good morning, Miss Pat! Sperm whale are very interesting mammals! I never knew that ambergris perfume base came from whales.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Just posted an update at Marica’s.
        What’s on your agenda today? Crafts, cooking, planning your garden or chopping wood? Or a trip to town?

        Liked by 1 person

        1. we’re going to visit my mom. we’ve haven’t seen her in months due to the weather, then hubby’s illness. 

          and right on cue…mother nature says wanna bet? lol

          hubby says it should warm up enough not to be a big issue, so we’ll see.

          going to look at Marica’s…

          Liked by 1 person

  4. Tucker Carlson
    @TuckerCarlson
    Ask anyone in Congress who plans to vote for billions more in Ukraine aid next week: how many Ukrainians have been killed so far? They’ll have no idea. They can’t even guess. Their intel briefers haven’t mentioned it. Then ask: how can you fund a foreign army but not bother to know how many of its soldiers have died in the war you’re paying for? Disgraceful.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Ben Shapiro

    @benshapiro

    Joe Biden will cause WWIII through his utter and complete stupidity. Here is his current position: 1. The United States is willing to go to direct war with a nuclear power by admitting Ukraine to NATO. The minute Ukraine joins NATO, Article 5 will be invoked and we are then in a shooting war with Russia. 2. The United States is demanding a ceasefire from an ally, Israel, in a war with a terrorist group holding hostages including Americans, in a conflict involving precisely ZERO US troops. Iran and its terror proxies now know that if they murder over a thousand citizens of an American ally, take hundreds of hostages, and then hide among civilians, Joe Biden will save them. It is nearly impossible to believe one human being could be so stupid. But Joe Biden always surpasses expectations.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. bwahahahahahahaahhaha…
    why do i love my husband so much? i was just copied in a text he sent our 2 kids. it says something like your mom and I have discussed this and we wanted you both to be the first to know, we won the powerball last night. we have to make some arrangements with our lawyer before any money can be distributed, but you both are getting a 25% share of our winnings…

    expect your $3 to arrive shortly.
    Dad

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Morning katharine!
        you’d have to know my hubby–accountant by trade–VERY serious type. but every once in a while, he completely disarms me with something off the wall that floors me.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. freaking crazy!! illegals are raking it in…

    FTA

    Migrants coming to New York City are being given prepaid debit cards that in certain cases, like food assistance, dwarf the amounts provided to families of legal status. For example, the average family of four’s monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment is $713, but migrant families of four receive $1,400 a month.

    That total is also higher than military veterans’ disability compensation. A veteran who has a 50 percent disability rating and a spouse and one child receives $1,255.16 once every four weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

    When a child under age 18 is added to that family, the payment rises $51 to $1,306.16 a month—still nearly $100 less than what a migrant family of four receives from the prepaid card assistance.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/04/illegals_now_collecting_more_in_welfare_payments_than_disabled_u_s_veterans_report.html

    Liked by 1 person

  10. what an ass…inserting yourself into a war zone is always dangerous. were the “aid” workers being used by hamas for cover? they do like to use schools and hospitals to hide within. and no mention of those killed by hamas at the concert OR the hostages STILL being held–some Americans.

    FTA

    A furious President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the airstrikes that killed seven aid workers were ‘unacceptable’ and demanded he push toward an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

    Biden, 81, upped the ante in the hour-long phone call on Thursday and and warned Bibi that Israel could lose American support if civilians kept getting hurt and killed. The White House said it want changes within ‘hours and days.’

    The U.S. president has faced increasing pressure to get tougher on Netanyahu after the strike that killed seven food aid workers, including a dual American-Canadian citizen earlier this week.

    The call on Thursday is a turning point, with Biden saying the situation in Gaza cannot carry on like this. 

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/04/joe_biden_openly_goes_to_war_against_israel.html

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Good morning! 31 here this morning; clear at the moment but we’ve got storms moving in later today.

    Just The News: “President Joe Biden has carved out a considerable lead over former President Donald Trump in the Keystone State, according to a recent survey.

    Biden earned 48% support among registered Pennsylvania voters in the latest Franklin & Marshall College poll. Trump trailed with 38% while 13% preferred “someone else’ and 1% were undecided.

    Biden’s lead narrowed considerably, however, with the inclusion of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jill Stein of the Green Party.

    In that matchup, Biden led with 42%, while Trump placed second with 40%, Kennedy earned 9%, and Stein earned 3%. Another 4% opted for “someone else” while 4% were undecided.

    Conducted March 20-31, the survey questioned 870 Pennsylvania registered voters. 

    The results may be something of an outlier, however, as the RealClearPolitics polling average, which includes the Franklin & Marshall survey, shows Biden with a 0.1% lead in the state. Every other component survey shows Trump either winning or tied with the incumbent.”

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Just The News: “The U.S. Army Engineer Corps expects the port of Baltimore to reopen, in part, by the end of April, the Port of Baltimore confirmed on Thursday.

    “The Corps expects to open a channel 280-feet wide and 35-feet deep by the end of April and reopen the permanent 700-foot wide, 50-foot deep channel by the end of May,” a press release stated.

    Exit and entry into the port remain blocked after a container ship last month crashed into a column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in its near-instant collapse. The Dali reported losing power prior to the collision, though the cause of the incident remains under investigation.

    Earlier this week, authorities began the clearing of a temporary alternate channel to reopen one of the nation’s busiest ports. President Joe Biden has vowed that Washington would foot the entire bill to rebuild the bridge itself.

    “We’re going to get it up and running again as soon as possible,” he said.”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. That bitch refuses to accept defeat!!!

    Just The News: “New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James’s office this week, expressed concerns about the company that posted former President Donald Trump’s $175 million bond.

    Trump posted the sum on Monday as part of a New York civil fraud case against him. The original sum was markedly higher at $464 million, though the New York appeals court last month reduced it to the $175 million amount.

    James’s office, however, indicated Thursday that it had doubts about Knight Specialty Insurance Company and demanded either it or Trump prove the firm could afford to pay the sum.

    “Defendants or (Knight) shall file a motion to justify the surety within ten days of the service of this notice, failing which the Bond shall be without effect, except that the surety shall remain liable on the Bond until a new undertaking is given and allowed,” her office wrote, according to The Hill.

    Trump’s posting of the bond was widely regarded as a defeat for James, who had moved to begin seizing his assets in anticipation that he would be unable to post the higher sum. Last month, she filed judgements in Westchester County to begin the process of seizing Trump’s Seven Springs golf course and private estate.”

    Liked by 1 person

        2. here’s a response i got…

          pgroup2

          pgroup2(@pgroup2)

          Online

          Coyote

          Reply to  pat frederick

          April 5, 2024 10:23

          Let’s be clear – she is just trying to force the surety company to buy an underwriter policy. The most commonly known such company that issues such policies is Lloyd’s of London but there are many and they aren’t cheap on short notice.

          James’ is inflicting damage on this company, also known as a tort. NYC has LOTS of tort lawyers for hire.

          Liked by 1 person

  14. “Moby Dick” was one of my all-time favorite novels, but I love books and literature from that time period, about nature and the sea. Samuel Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is another favorite. Thanks for the info on sperm whales. Whale oil was used for lighting before electricity, and blubber was used by Eskimos. Now, right whales are sometimes spotted off the coast of Georgia. There’s concern that the depth soundings for oil explorations and various other techno-gadgets disrupt migration patterns of multiple species, as does the accumulation of human waste, like plastics, in the oceans.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. I just looked them up. There are three species of right whales. They are baleen whales. Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern. About 42 feet long. One was recently killed off the eastern coast. I didn’t get into details.

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Melania to host a campaign event April 20

    FTA

    Melania Trump, who has been largely absent from the campaign trail during her husband’s presidential run, is back on the GOP fundraising circuit.

    The former first lady is set to hold her first major political event of the year — a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans on April 20 at Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach, Florida, club where she and former president Donald Trump live, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO.

    Melania Trump has long maintained a close relationship with the Log Cabin Republicans, which describes itself as “ the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies.” In 2021, she was the special guest at a dinner the organization hosted at Mar-a-Lago, where she was given an award. The former president himself spoke at an event the organization hosted at the club in 2022.

    The April event is the launch for the organization’s “Road to Victory” program, which plans to target voters in swing states.

    A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Last month, Melania Trump said “ stay tuned” when asked by a reporter when she would return to the campaign trail. The ex-first lady made the remarks while attending, with her husband, a wake for a slain New York City police officer.

    https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/04/melania-trump-is-back-set-to-hold-event-for-log-cabin-republicans-00150717

    Liked by 1 person

  17. DOJ wants to change venues (from CA to DC) for ashil babbit’s lawsuit

    Tom Fitton

    @TomFitton

    BREAKING:

    @JudicialWatchAsks Court to Deny Biden Justice Department Request to Transfer Ashli Babbitt $30 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit from California to Washington, DC – Let’s be blunt, the Biden DOJ wants to move the Ashli Babbitt wrongful death lawsuit to DC because it knows the courts here are notoriously hostile to anyone tied to the January 6 protests. From our brief: Defendant’s position [to transfer venue] illustrates and underscores the prejudice and injustice that Plaintiffs would face if venue were transferred to the District of Columbia. Defendant mentions 80 Capitol Police officers and 60 Metropolitan Police officers that were injured and connects the deaths of three officers to the events on that day, thus connecting Ashli Babbitt to these deaths and other injuries, as if she caused them. The request for a change in venue is clearly influenced by Defendant’s strongest motivation for changing venue, which is to select the forum where it feels it would receive a favorable process and outcome based on adversity against January 6 participants. By its motion, Defendant hopes to unfairly and unjustly connect Ashli Babbitt to violence, injuries, and deaths for which she is blameless and connect her by association to thousands of individuals convicted of misdemeanors and felonies for which she was never charged and is unable to present a defense due to the lawless actions of one of Defendant’s employees in shooting and killing her. *** It’s no secret that the District of Columbia is a hostile forum for January 6 defendants. It’s also prejudicially biased against Ashli Babbitt. For example, during a recent sentencing hearing in the District of Columbia in United States v. Daniel Goodwyn … District Judge Reggie B. Walton made the following statement to the defendant and his counsel regarding the shooting of Ashli Babbitt: THE COURT: You should not have been – you cannot convince me that somehow what she was doing was somehow justified and the police did not have a justification for taking the actions that they took. You can’t convince me of that. Judge Walton’s statement evidences he has already predetermined a crucial issue in this case – whether Ashli Babbitt’s killing was justified. Judge Walton made other biased comments on the record, including, “Well, she shouldn’t have been coming through the window,” and “this man who was protecting the Capitol ends up being called a thug … that is just mind boggling.” … Unfortunately, Judge Walton is speaking what many others are at least thinking behind the bench in the District of Columbia. This Court is the only venue which offers Plaintiffs a chance of receiving a fair trial. https://judicialwatch.org/babbitt-wrongf

    Liked by 1 person

      1. A story…. Well….

        The captain arrived like this.

        I knew we were in good hands. Plus you know rum.

        And when the crew started singing

        The whale and dusky dolphins popped up.

        And we did a run for it because why not

        But the treasure oh that was something else…. 😁

        Liked by 1 person

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