biological_structure

sperm whales case

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Properties

_kg_layer
0
contents
spermaceti
description
The organ in the head of a Sperm Whale that contains spermaceti, often metaphorically referred to as the 'Heidelburgh Tun' due to its capacity. It constitutes one third of the whale's total length.
location
entire top of the head
relative_size
one third of the whole length of the creature

Relationships

  • containsSpermaceti
    description
    The Sperm Whale's Case is the primary location where the highly-prized spermaceti is stored within the creature.
    source
    Sourcetext_chunk
    source_text
    so the tun of the whale contains by far the most precious of all his oily vintages; namely, the highly-prized spermaceti, in its absolutely pure, limpid, and odoriferous state
  • is_compared_toHeidelburgh Tun (historical)
    description
    The vast capacity of the Sperm Whale's Case for spermaceti is metaphorically likened to the Heidelburgh Tun, a famous historical vat for wine.
    source
    Sourcetext_chunk
    source_text
    It will have been seen that the Heidelburgh Tun of the Sperm Whale
  • is_suspended_byCutting Tackles
    description
    The enormous cutting tackles are used to elevate and retain the decapitated whale's head, which contains the Sperm Whale's Case, out of the water.
    source
    Sourcetext_chunk
    source_text
    retained in that position by the enormous cutting tackles, whose hempen combinations, on one side, make quite a wilderness of ropes in that quarter
  • extracted_fromSource
    extracted_at
    2026-03-02T00:04:38.672Z
    source
    Sourcetext_chunk