Which of the following species is the largest of the ‘toothed-whales’

The answer is C) Sperm whale. Whales split into two suborders. Toothed whales (Odontoceti) have functional teeth and hunt prey such as squid and fish. Baleen whales (Mysticeti) have plates of baleen instead of teeth and filter-feed on krill and plankton. The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale, with adult males reaching about 16 to 18 m and roughly 40 to 50 tonnes.

• Blue whale (B): The largest animal ever to have lived, but it is a baleen whale, not a toothed whale.
• Finback whale (A): Also called the fin whale, the second-largest whale. It is a baleen whale.
• Humpback whale (D): A baleen whale known for long pectoral fins and song, much smaller than the sperm whale.

The core concept is the Odontoceti versus Mysticeti classification, which links to the Biodiversity and Animal Classification topics in the Environment syllabus. In Mains, it connects to marine conservation: the 1986 IWC moratorium on commercial whaling and the protection of these species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for Schedule I cetaceans.

Trap: Choosing the blue whale because it is the biggest whale overall. The question restricts the comparison to toothed whales.