A family of sperm whales, Indian Ocean

Whale you save me?. Endangered Species Day

Brains, brawn, and a serious case of going deep—the sperm whale isn't here for surface-level living. This Endangered Species Day, meet a giant that thinks big and dives deeper.

Sperm whales have the largest brain ever recorded—up to 20 pounds (about five times heavier than a human's). Their massive head, about one-third of their body length, holds spermaceti, a waxy oil once prized for candles and machinery. They're also record-breaking divers, plunging over 3,000 feet for up to 90 minutes to hunt squid. Down there, they rely on echolocation clicks that can reach around 230 decibels, making them the loudest animal on the planet.

They often nap vertically, eat up to 2 tons of food a day, and have an off-center blowhole. Living in matriarchal pods, with males going solo, they communicate through click patterns called codas. Once hunted for oil and ambergris, they now face ship strikes, noise, and plastic pollution. Whales mastered diving deep. Now it's on us to not let their future sink.