Which whale is the largest toothed whale?

The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale.

Adult males can reach about 16 to 18 metres in length and weigh many tonnes, while females are substantially smaller. Its enormous, block-shaped head contains the spermaceti organ, a waxy structure historically associated with whaling products.

Sperm whales use echolocation to hunt squid and fish, and they are famous for making some of the deepest and longest dives recorded among marine mammals. Their prey can include giant squid, whose scars sometimes appear on sperm-whale skin.

The sperm whale is a toothed whale, or odontocete, rather than a baleen whale. This distinguishes it from the blue whale, which is larger overall but filters food through baleen plates. The species is found in deep waters across much of the world’s oceans, with social groups usually centred on females and young.