Melon (cetacean)
Videos
The melon is a mass of adipose tissue found in the foreheads of all toothed whales. It focuses and modulates the animal's vocalizations and acts as a sound lens. It is thus a key organ involved in com
The bisected head of a dolphin: The melon is just above the upper jaw.
Three-dimensional models of various odontocete melons based on CT scans
Spermaceti
Videos
Spermaceti, one of the fractions of sperm oil, is a waxy substance found in the head cavities of the sperm whale. Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head. This organ may
Melon (cetacean)
…the spermaceti organ of the sperm whale. Sperm whales have two large oil-filled sacs, stacked one on top of the other: the dorsal spermaceti organ or spermaceti case and the junk, named because whalers dismissed it as worthless for extracting sperm oil. The junk originated from the odontocete melon. It contains…
Left to right: A sample of solid raw spermaceti, a spermaceti wax candle and a bottle of sperm oil.
1864 illustration captioned: "Removing the spermaceti from the head of the cachelot, or sperm whale"
A whaler bailing spermaceti from the severed head of a sperm whale (1874 illustration).
A jar of raw spermaceti