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Glite Dictionary
dwarf sperm whale

dwarf sperm whale

7.7
A very small sperm whale that lives in warm and cool seas and grows to about 8 feet long
  • noun
  • /dwɔrf spɜrm wɪl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ballena esperma enana
  • Is it narwhals, dolphins, dwarf sperm whales or blue whales?

Examples

  • Researchers spotted a dwarf sperm whale swimming near the coral reefs during their expedition.

  • The dwarf sperm whale is a small species that can typically grow to about 8 feet in length.

  • The conservation team studied the feeding habits of the dwarf sperm whale in tropical waters.

Synonyms

Kogia simus
vsdwarf sperm whale
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small sperm whale about 8 feet long that lives near warm ocean coasts

is the same species but uses an alternate scientific name form

Surface Forms

dwarf sperm whale singular
dwarf sperm whales plural

Morphology

dwarf + sperm + whale

The adjective 'dwarf' clearly signals small size and composes naturally with a following animal name, so the overall sense 'a very small ... whale' is partly derivable. However, understanding full reference requires knowing 'sperm whale' is a conventional species name (the 'sperm' element is not the literal biological cell), so the compound is not wholly predictable from its parts. Because the size meaning is transparent but the taxonomic name is lexicalized, this is best judged semi-transparent.

Etymology

The name dwarf sperm whale joins dwarf (very small) and sperm whale (a type of whale). So, it literally names a much smaller relative of the sperm whale, which is why it means 'a very small sperm whale'.