An archaic scientific name for the sperm whale, used in older biological and whaling literature.
From Greek 'kata' (down) + 'odous/odon' (tooth), literally meaning 'downward tooth,' referencing the sperm whale's lower jaw teeth that fit into sockets in the upper jaw.
The sperm whale's teeth are so massive and distinctive that early scientists named it based on this feature alone—a 'down tooth' animal—before they understood much else about it.
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