where does its name come from?
It is a truncation of "spermaceti whale".
Sperm whale
The name "sperm whale" is a truncation of "spermaceti whale". Spermaceti, originally mistakenly identified as the whales' semen, is the semi-liquid, waxy substance found within the whale's head (see below).
what group of animals do octopus belong to Molluscs how big do they grow? Adults usually weigh around 15 kg (33 lb), with an arm span of up to 4.3 m (14 ft). how many limbs do they have? Eight what is the largest of its kind? The giant Pacific octopus where is this type normally found? The coastal North Pacific, along California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Russia, Japan, and Korean Peninsula. what does it feed on? Shrimp, crabs, scallop, abalone etc. how long do they normally live? Typically 3–5 years in the wild. what is a threat that it faces? Scavengers and other organisms often attempt to eat octopus eggs; preyed upon by many other zooplankton and filter feeders, harbor seals, sea otters, and sperm whales. what toxic material does it have? High concentrations of heavy metals and PCBs where are the above mentioned seals found? Found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. what do they look like? Possess a unique pattern of spots, either dark on a light background or light on a dark; vary in color from brownish black to tan or grey; body and flippers are short, heads are rounded; nostrils appear distinctively V-shaped. what are the overall numbers of them? There are an estimated 350,000–500,000 harbor seals worldwide. can you describe the earlier mentioned whale? At birth both sexes are about the same size, but mature males are typically 30% to 50% longer and three times as massive as females.
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Sperm whale [SEP] Etymology
The name "sperm whale" is a truncation of "spermaceti whale". Spermaceti, originally mistakenly identified as the whales' semen, is the semi-liquid, waxy substance found within the whale's head (see below). The sperm whale is also known as the "cachalot", which is thought to derive from the archaic French for "tooth" or "big teeth", as preserved for example in ' in the Gascon dialect (a word of either Romance or Basque origin). The etymological dictionary of Corominas says the origin is uncertain, but it suggests that it comes from the Vulgar Latin ', plural of "", "sword hilt". The word "cachalot" came to English via French from Spanish or Portuguese ', perhaps from Galician/Portuguese ', "big head".