What is "pygmy sperm whale"

Sperm whale \Sperm" whale`\ (Zo["o]l.) A very large toothed whale ( Physeter macrocephalus), having a head of enormous size. The upper jaw is destitute of teeth. In the upper part of the head, above the skull, there is a large cavity, or case, filled with oil and spermaceti. This whale sometimes grows to the length of more than eighty feet. It is found in the warmer parts of all the oceans. Called also cachalot, and spermaceti whale.

Pygmy sperm whale (Zo["o]l.), a small whale ( Kogia breviceps), seldom twenty feet long, native of tropical seas, but occasionally found on the American coast. Called also snub-nosed cachalot.

Sperm-whale porpoise (Zo["o]l.), a toothed cetacean ( Hypero["o]don bidens), found on both sides of the Atlantic and valued for its oil. The adult becomes about twenty-five feet long, and its head is very large and thick. Called also bottle-nosed whale.

n. One of the two small whales in the sperm whale family, ''Kogia breviceps''.

n. small sperm whale of warm waters of both coasts of North America [syn: Kogia breviceps]

The pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) is one of three species of toothed whale in the sperm whale family. They are not often sighted at sea, and most of what is known about them comes from the examination of stranded specimens.