Compositional topography of melon and spermaceti organ lipids in the pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps: Implications for echolocation

Abstract

The forehead of the pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps contains a large "melon" of fatty tissue in front of a small, fat-filled, cornucopia-shaped spermaceti organ. This unique anatomical structure may possibly play an acoustical role in the whale's echolocation system, similar to the fatty "melon" sound lens postulated for dolphins. To better understand its function, we have studied the compositional topography of the K. breviceps melon and spermaceti organ lipids. The fatty head tissues of an adult K. breviceps were serially sectioned into 9 transverse slices. Appropriate tissue samples were cut from every other slice, and analyzed for % lipid and lipid class composition. Wax esters and triglycerides were the only major lipids present; their average carbon number in each sample was determined by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Our topographical analyses of K. breviceps melon indicate 3 regions of distinctive lipid composition: a fat-poor melon exterior, an "outer melon" of medium fat content having % triglyceride>% wax ester, and a fat-rich "inner melon" having % wax ester>% triclyceride. The spermaceti organ contains a fat-rich core of very high wax-ester content (84 to 99%), surrounded by a fat-poor case. Average carbon numbers of both wax esters and triglycerides were lowest in the inner melon and the spermaceti organ. At the rear of the spermaceti organ lies the "museau de singe", an apparent sound generator. The lipid topography data plus anatomical and acoustical considerations suggest that the K. breviceps melon/spermaceti organ system may function as an acoustical transducer, directing and refracting sound waves from this source for the purpose of echolocation. © 1978 Springer-Verlag.