A male sperm whale‘s forehead is designed for ramming love rivals and even ships – just like in the novel Moby Dick, according to new research.
The study addresses a controversial hypothesis regarding the potential ramming function of the sperm whale‘s head.
The theory was originally proposed by 19th Century whaler Owen Chase who was played by Hollywood heart-throb Chris Hemsworth in the film In The Heart Of The Sea.
Chase, whose ship the Essex was sunk by a sperm whale, suggests that the forehead of male sperm whales evolved partly to be used as a battering ram weapon when fighting for access to reproductively active females.
The theory was instrumental in inspiring Herman Melville to write the classic novel Moby Dick, but its mechanical feasibility had never been addressed.
Now a team of scientists from Britain, Australia, Japan and the United States used structural engineering principles to test how the head of the sperm whale might be able to resist strong ramming impacts.
Study lead author Dr Olga Panagiotopoulou from the University of Queensland in Australia, said: “The sperm whale forehead is one of the strangest structures in the animal kingdom.
“Internally the forehead is composed of two large oil-filled sacs, stacked one on top of the other, known as the spermaceti organ and the junk sacs.
“It is the oil within the upper spermaceti organ that was the main target of the whaling industry in the early 19th Century.
“This whole complex is highly sexually dimorphic which means that it is much larger in males than in females, a pattern commonly found in species in which males fight to compete for females.”
The battering ram hypothesis was originally proposed by Chase after his ship, the Essex, was sunk by a large male that intentionally rammed the ship with his forehead.
Study co-author Professor David Carrier, of the University of Utah, said: “We know that the sperm whale head is important in transmitting sonar clicks and there are many other hypotheses about its role in communication and buoyancy.
“But none of these hypotheses could explain how the sperm whale head could function as a weapon capable of sinking ships that are four to five times the mass of the whale.”
Dr Panagiotopoulou added: “The ramming hypothesis was received with reluctance by the scientific community.
“This was mainly because the front part of the sperm whale head houses sensitive anatomical structures that produce the sounds essential for sonar and would be in harm’s way in a ramming event.
“Also not many people had actually observed sperm whales ramming.”
Prof Carrier said: “We were fascinated when we received a report from a pilot and conservation researcher, who documented sperm whales ramming while flying over the Gulf of California.
“We then knew that our ramming hypothesis had some merit and looked into the available technology to test it.”
A consulting engineer created a computer model to simulate ramming in sperm whales.
Senior author Associate Professor Todd Pataky, of Shinshu University in Japan, said: “We used probabilistic simulation to study the mechanical effects of impact variation.
“After creating a series of modified versions of the type and direction of impact force on the sperm whale head, we concluded that the connective tissue partitions embedded within the junk absorb impact stresses and protect the skull from fracturing.”
Dr Panagiotopoulou added: “Increased skull stresses at a ramming event can be detrimental for the animal since they can cause fatal fractures.
“Our findings show that the mechanical advantage of the structure of the junk may be the result of acquired traits related to selection on male to male aggressive behaviour.
“Although male sperm whales may not fight frequently, we know that aggressive ramming behaviour is a common characteristic in the group of mammals from which whales are derived – the even-toed ungulates, the artiodactyls.
“A closer look into the anatomy of the heads of other species of whales that ram may reveal a variety of protective mechanisms.”
