Monkfish Reblog

biomedicalephemera:

inhumanoid:

Sperm Whale/Blue Whale. From ‘Realistic Pictures from Natural History’, by Johann Bechstein. 

Cool whales!

“Der kleine Kaschelot” is “The little Cachalot” - Cachalot being derived from an archaic French term meaning “tooth”. The term “little Cachalot” generally referred to a smaller specimen of Physeter macrocephalus, which was thought to be a different species. In fact, the females of the species are almost 50% smaller than males at maturity, so if you didn’t compare all the structures side-by-side, it would be easy to mistake. 

However! In this case, the term “little Cachalot” is used in reference to the pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps.

“Der Nordkaper” is the North-caper. This term has been most commonly used in reference to the Northern Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis. But as the right whale has no dorsal fin, I’m inclined to believe the scientific name given, Balaena musculus - the Blue whale. Note the exposed genitalia (comparatively small in terms of % body length, especially alongside other cetaceans) and that the baleen plates have already been removed.

(Source: bibliodyssey.blogspot.com, via leninpest)