The largest-toothed whale. The Mediterranean population is thought to include fewer than 2,500 mature individuals that face numerous threats and are in decline. They are known to inhabit offshore and continental-slope waters, foraging almost exclusively on squids.
There have been Anecdotal reports of sperm whales to the north of the Israeli EEZ on social media, but their distribution is still unknown in our region.
Deep sea acoustic surveys started in April 2022 to generate data on the presence and ecology of all cetaceans within the Israeli EEZ. The catalogue contains flukes and body scars (“fingerprint” for each individual) for identification, and other essential data. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species the Mediterranean population is listed as “Endangered.”