this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2025
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Science Memes

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top 29 comments
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[–] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 7 points 1 hour ago

Huh, TIL.

The whale’s common name originated during the heyday of the commercial whaling industry, from the end of the 18th century through the 19th century. The head of the sperm whale contains an enormous fluid-filled organ (which whalers called the case). During whale harvests, this organ, now called the spermaceti organ, was discovered to contain a white liquid that whalers mistook for the sperm of the whale. The spermaceti organ is unique to sperm whales, although bottlenose whales possess a similar organ. It has a volume as large as 2,000 liters (530 gallons) and can extend through 40 percent of the whale’s length.

https://www.britannica.com/story/how-did-the-sperm-whale-get-its-name

[–] chirayu_alias@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

And I bet that guy regrets nothing

[–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

it's called "kaskelothval" in danish

kastelot supposedly means "oil-filled head"

that oil is called "spermaceti oil". And supposedly is kinda sticky.. like sperm

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

In Spanish it's called "cacholote". I wonder if it's related because it's such an odd word since other whales are called "ballenas".

[–] FilthyShrooms@lemmy.world 27 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

He went on to name a bunch of birds afterwards, like boobies and tits

[–] Kacarott@aussie.zone 10 points 17 hours ago

Id have thought that boobs and tits were rather named after the birds as euphemisms

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Why is it called that? Did the first one they ever see ejaculate at that moment or something?

[–] RattlerSix@lemmy.world 14 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Wikipedia sez

The name "sperm whale" is a clipping of "spermaceti whale". Spermaceti, originally mistakenly identified as the whales' semen, is the semi-liquid, waxy substance found within the whale's head.

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 8 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Spermaceti sounds like a pasta dish.

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 hours ago

Good lord I don't want to be invited to your dinner parties

[–] pancakes@sh.itjust.works 7 points 14 hours ago

You can't just talk shit about Gerald Sperm like that, he gave his life for research 😭

[–] tiny_hedgehog@piefed.social 55 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

I bet he named the Daddy Long Legs too.

[–] Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world 46 points 22 hours ago

"Okay, we need a name for this one, too."

"Bushtit."

[Sigh] "Fine. And this one?"

[Snickering] "Blue footed booby."

"Ugh, but why?."

"It's got blue feet."

"Whatever. How about this one?"

"Titmouse."

"I think I'm starting to see a pattern here. Is everything okay at home?"

[Bursts into tears] "No! Not since this one." [Hands other person a photo] "I call that one 'horrible shrew that ruined my life!'" [Sobbing]

[Other person holding the photo of the ex-partner]

[–] Signtist@bookwyr.me 18 points 20 hours ago

He originally wanted to call it the Spermy Long Legs.

[–] hopesdead@startrek.website 14 points 21 hours ago

Sadly I have a video for this topic.

https://youtu.be/bYyiS8AT3ug

[–] neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Just gonna leave this here…

As I sat there at my ease, cross-legged on the deck; after the bitter exertion at the windlass; under a blue tranquil sky; the ship under indolent sail, and gliding so serenely along; as I bathed my hands among those soft, gentle globules of infiltrated tissues, wove almost within the hour; as they richly broke to my fingers, and discharged all their opulence, like fully ripe grapes their wine; as. I snuffed up that uncontaminated aroma,- literally and truly, like the smell of spring violets; I declare to you, that for the time I lived as in a musky meadow; I forgot all about our horrible oath; in that inexpressible sperm, I washed my hands and my heart of it; I almost began to credit the old Paracelsan superstition that sperm is of rare virtue in allaying the heat of anger; while bathing in that bath, I felt divinely free from all ill-will, or petulance, or malice, of any sort whatsoever.

Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers’ hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say,- Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.

Would that I could keep squeezing that sperm for ever! For now, since by many prolonged, repeated experiences, I have perceived that in all cases man must eventually lower, or at least shift, his conceit of attainable felicity; not placing it anywhere in the intellect or the fancy; but in the wife, the heart, the bed, the table, the saddle, the fire-side; the country; now that I have perceived all this, I am ready to squeeze case eternally. In thoughts of the visions of the night, I saw long rows of angels in paradise, each with his hands in a jar of spermaceti.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 12 points 17 hours ago

What a magnificent example of the kind of straight male bonding you just don't see anymore

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 8 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

I've now understood why our english lit teacher skipped over this one at school

[–] ReverendIrreverence@lemmy.world 13 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Cockroach has something to say here

[–] HowAbt2day@futurology.today 8 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

And the breastmouse bird has joined the chat.

[–] zer0squar3d@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 19 hours ago

And pussywillow.

[–] muhyb@programming.dev 3 points 16 hours ago
[–] kwomp2@sh.itjust.works 3 points 19 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 17 hours ago

Room enters room. The The Room room.

(A room for watching The Room and occasionally saying hi to Mark)

[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 21 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Unfortunately not before he did the bear and the peacock.

Or rather before he named the bear and the peacock. Need to be careful with words when that guy's involved.

[–] hopesdead@startrek.website 8 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I knew from the cropped thumbnail it was Ryan George.

[–] EpeeGnome@feddit.online 3 points 17 hours ago

I can't see the thumbnail, but I could already hear the Ryan George character in my head just from reading the image text, so when I saw a youtube link I assumed it had to be one of those skits.

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 12 points 22 hours ago

before the whale, they named a bunch of birds for foreplay

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

He changed departments and started deciding on packaging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPf529urxw8