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    How did the sperm whale come to get that name?

    Question #108260. Asked by star_gazer. (Aug 24 09 5:28 PM)


    ArsonDave

    		The whale was named after the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in its head and originally mistaken for sperm.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_Whale

    Aug 24 09, 5:37 PM
    gmackematix

    		Spermaceti means "seed of the cetacean" and is indeed thought to derive from the misconception that the substance was sperm.

    However, there is an ongoing campaign to correct this oversight by referring to the creature with the world's largest brain as cachalot:
    http://www.interspecies.com/pages/Cachalot.html

    Aug 24 09, 7:45 PM

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