Do sperm whales have a sound weapon to stun or disable prey?

Question

I'm getting my information from Assignment Discovery on the Discovery Channel on Monday at 5 in the morning, but they didn't say definitively and didn't say if this sound weapon could be used defensively to thwart killer whale attacks to defend itself. Could it? Their prey is squid, a lot different from a kiler whales body. Just curious. What do you know about a sound weapon by sperm whales?

Answer 1

From Aarhus University (Denmark):

"The sperm whale carries one of the most spectacular adaptations in the animal kingdom. It has by far the largest sound production organ of any animal, which can produce the most intense sound in nature. Sperm whales are using sounds for finding prey but also for complex acoustic communication among strongly cohesive social units. "

Also, from Sound Theory by Larry O'Hanlon:

""Sound can stun prey," Cranford said. And although no one has heard or seen a sperm whale actually zap a school of fish or squid, there is circumstantial evidence they can do it, he said. A nasal stun gun would explain, for example, why full-grown sperm whales that have injured or missing lower jaws have been found with bellies full of fresh fish, he said. With an acoustic paralyzer in your nose, fishing becomes more like grazing: just open your mouth and swim through stunned fish, then swallow, Cranford said."

Searching the net under "sperm whale sound weapon" will get you many other sites that talk about this possibility. Interesting stuff -- thanks for the great question and fun search!

Answer 2

No, definitely not powerful enough as a weapon against larger predators.