This contains oil and is part of the whales’ echolocation system which is how they find their way in the depths of the ocean. The organ allows sound waves to be focused so that the whales can detect things at a greater distance. It was this oil that was much sought after by early whalers, as it made excellent, smoke-free candles. The most commonly known sperm whale can grow up to eighteen metres long. They are the ones that tourists usually see off the coast of Kaikoura, a couple of hundred kilometres south of Whale Pot Bay. The other two species are the dwarf sperm whale and the pygmy sperm whale. The ones washed up on our beach were the pygmy species. There are more strandings of these in New Zealand than of any other whale. Unlike their much bigger cousins, they do not live in pods. Hence they usually strand as single animals. If there are two, it will be a mother and her calf. That was the case at our beach that day. Nobody said anything as we walked over the sand towards the beached whale.
