Sperm Whale Tooth

This is a tooth from a Sperm Whale. Sperm Whales have about 23 teeth on each side of their bottom jaw – 11 more teeth than in your whole head. The teeth are not used in devouring prey of giant squid, octopus and fish, but probably for gripping their food before swallowing.

Sperm whales were hunted in the 18th and 19th centuries, for the oil produced by the spermaceti organ in their heads. It is still a mystery as to what the whale uses this oil for. The whalers used it to make soap and in oil lamps.

The teeth were used extensively as decoration and trinkets. The art of finely engraving a picture onto a tooth or tusk is called ‘scrimshaw’.

We suggest you try these activities on the Develop Ideas page

1. Questioning and hypothesising
2. Would I lie to You?
3. History Detectives

We suggest you try these activities on the Get Creative page

1. Time Travelling Reporters
2. Malfunctioning Objects
3. Poetry and Performance

We know now that we need to protect our environment and wild animals, not hunt them, but the Victorian whalers had different views, as do some people around the world today. Ask the children to create a chart of pro’s and con’s of commercial whaling. This could be from either a historic point of view, or modern day.

Museum name: Kirkleatham Museum
Contact name: Liz Vine or Ellen Bissell
Phone number: 01642 479500
Email: liz.vine@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Learning from home? This download is full of ways to explore this object for students who can’t be in school.

Literacy Loans Home Learning – Kirkleatham Sperm Whale Tooth KS2