Despite the fact that blue whales have a global distribution, they are sparsely populated around the world. Sperm whales make the loudest sounds of any animal. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and rescue these endangered whales. 1. The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale, with adult males measuring up to 20.7 metres (68 ft) long and weighing up to 80 tonnes (79 long tons; 88 short tons). Although resembling the pygmy sperm whale, they are smaller and have bigger dorsal fins. According to one estimate, the blue whales currently number around 8,000 to 9,000 animals. We engage our partners as we develop regulations and management plans that encourage recovery, foster healthy fisheries, reduce the risk of entanglements, create whale-safe shipping practices, and reduce ocean noise. Currently, there is no accurate accounting of the total number of sperm whales worldwide. They have slow but calculated movements, and like the pygmy sperm whale, they can lie motionless on calm water surfaces. However, a sperm whale click only lasts 100 microseconds (a microsecond is 1 millionth of a second), whereas a blue whale’s call at 188db lasts 20-30 seconds. By contrast, the second largest toothed whale (Baird's beaked whale) measures 12.8 metres (42 ft) and weighs up to 14 tonnes (15 short tons). NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the sperm whale population. Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima) This whale is the smallest of any whale species, grows up to 8.9 feet long and weighs up to 550 lb. While on the endangered species list, sperm whales are the most prolific of all whale species, and estimates put their total between 200,000 and 1,500,000. They are just too difficult to count. They can emit a click at around 230 decibels, considerably louder than a jet engine at around 150db. Commercial whaling from 1800 to the 1980s greatly decreased sperm whale population w… The best estimate of the world sperm whale population is between 300,000 and 450,000 individuals. The culture of sperm whales Today, there are about 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales alive in the oceans, making them one of the most endangered whales. It is estimated that the historical population all over the world totaled 1.100.000 specimens before commercial exploitation at the beginning of the 18th century.