Dwarf Sperm Whale Skull

You’re looking down the asymmetrical blowhole of a Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima), a small, toothed whale that is rarely seen because of its cryptic lifestyle. Adults of this species max out at under nine feet in length. If this skull seems a bit dolphinesque to you, it might interest you to know that dolphins are actually toothed whales. (Tell a friend and spread the good news.) The cycloptic-looking blowhole is not as unique as it seems. Toothed whales in general have a single asymmetrical blowhole; baleen whales have two blowholes. The sharp, curved teeth in the lower jaw help Kogia sima snag squid, the main component of its diet. This particular skull is one of over 44,000 specimens stewarded by Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Krista Fahy, PhD, in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Department of Vertebrate Zoology.