Other name(s) | The White Whale |
---|---|
Species | Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) |
Sex | male |
Born | before 1800 |
Died | 1838 Pacific Ocean |
Cause of death | Killed by whalers |
Years active | 1810–38 |
Known for | Attacking ships |
Residence | off Mocha Island |
Height | 70 ft (21 m) in length |
Appearance | albino, head covered with barnacles |
Named after | Mocha Island |
Mocha Dick (/ˈmɒtʃə dɪk/; died 1838) was a male sperm whale that lived in the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century, usually encountered in the waters near Mocha Island, off the central coast of Chile. American explorer and author J.N. Reynolds published his account, "Mocha Dick: Or The White Whale of the Pacific: A Leaf from a Manuscript Journal" in 1839 in The Knickerbocker. Mocha Dick was an albino and partially inspired Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick.[1]