Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and dive deeper than almost any other mammal, hunting giant squid at depths that put them far offshore and out of sight of the nearshore water around Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area most of the time. The IUCN lists the species Vulnerable globally, a status tied to historical whaling pressure that took decades to show recovery.
Records split into two windows, January and February, then again in June and July, with nothing recorded in between. That gap likely traces to the deep continental shelf water sperm whales use lying farther from shore for much of the year, only coming close enough to be recorded during specific seasonal movements.
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