DWARF SPERM WHALE (T)
Kogia simus (Owen 1866)
Other Common Names
Rat porpoise (West Indies).
Description
Dwarf sperm whales reach an overall length of approximately 9 feet (2.7 m). Like the other species of Kogia, the pygmy sperm whale (p. [144]), the dwarf sperm whales are characterized by 1) a squarish head, 2) an extremely robust body which tapers rapidly near the tail stock, 3) a narrow, underslung lower jaw, and 4) a bracket mark or false gill on the side of the head.