Pygmy sperm whale skull

3D Model

This is the skull from a pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) that was collected from a stranded animal at Dolphin Sands on the Freycinet Peninsula in 2019.

Pygmy sperm whales are rarely sighted at sea and little is known of their ecology or behaviour. Examination of stranded animals indicates that their diet is mainly composed of deep-water squid, small fish and crustaceans. Examination of feeding in captive animals indicates that these small whales primarily capture small prey using suction, similar to their gigantic relative - the sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus).

Museum Collection: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Registration number: TMAG A8362

Scan created in the app PolyCam on an iPhone 15 Pro by Dr David Hocking (Senior Curator of Vertebrate Zoology and Palaeontology, TMAG).