# Moby Dick and whale bites **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416 "2025-04-23T19:24:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/1 "2025-04-23T19:24:27Z")
Could a sperm whale bite off just the bottom half of one leg? I would think that if your legs were anywhere near a chomping whale that you’d lose more than that. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/2 "2025-04-23T19:46:53Z")
First, possibly. I don’t know. Second- nitpick- IIRC Ahab’s leg was not bitten off. Moby Dick had become snarled n various ropes. As he swam past a trailing harpoon severed the leg. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/3 "2025-04-23T19:51:27Z")
Sperm whale teeth aren’t really intended for cutting/tearing. They are in the bottom jaw only and are widely seperated. You wouldn’t want one of those in your leg, but you would probably get “only” one. (Or two as a matching “flesh wounds”.) [![](https://i.redd.it/fk473crncsv71.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/fk473crncsv71.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/4 "2025-04-23T20:07:22Z")
Those poor gnomes. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/5 "2025-04-23T20:09:54Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Second- nitpick- IIRC Ahab’s leg was not bitten off. Moby Dick had become snarled n various ropes. As he swam past a trailing harpoon severed the leg. Are you sure? Every reference I’ve seen says it was bitten off. Where does it say it was a harpoon injury? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/6 "2025-04-23T20:12:05Z")
It has been a while since I read Moby Dick. I no longer own a physical copy. I shall have to search through the text on the web, ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/7 "2025-04-23T20:17:11Z")
Found it. Chapter 41. > His three boats stove around him, and oars and men both whirling in the eddies; one captain, seizing the line-knife from his broken prow, had dashed at the whale, as an Arkansas duellist at his foe, blindly seeking with a six inch blade to reach the fathom-deep life of the whale. That captain was Ahab. And then it was, that suddenly sweeping his sickle-shaped lower jaw beneath him, Moby Dick had reaped away Ahab’s leg, as a mower a blade of grass in the field. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/8 "2025-04-23T20:29:43Z")
Crap. I admit my error. But, I know there is a scene in the book where somebody is severely injured not by Moby Dick, but by a harpoon trailing behind him. I cannot recall if it was Captain whatsisname who lost a hand, Fedallah, somebody during the three day hunt at the end, or somebody else. Bah. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/9 "2025-04-23T20:37:38Z")
I would think a whale could simply tear off a man’s leg without having to bite all the way through it. Moby simply gripping Ahab’s leg in his mouth would only need a sudden movement to separate the leg at the knee. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/10 "2025-04-23T20:46:46Z")
Apparently they will bite to defend themselves: > **[Sperm Whales - National Maritime Historical Society](https://seahistory.org/sea-history-for-kids/sperm-whales/)** > > By Richard King In historic illustrations and comic books, angry sperm whales are constantly crunching up boats and whalemen in their mouths, as if they were pretzel sticks. This has… ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/11 "2025-04-23T22:38:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I would think a whale could simply tear off a man’s leg without having to bite all the way through it. Moby simply gripping Ahab’s leg in his mouth would only need a sudden movement to separate the leg at the knee. My problem is, ISTM, is that for a sperm whale biting off just the bottom half of a leg seems like such a dainty bite. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/12 "2025-04-23T23:16:34Z")
Not that it makes a difference, but do you think Moby intended to just remove Ahab’s lower leg? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/13 "2025-04-23T23:22:21Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I cannot recall if it was Captain whatsisname who lost a hand I would expect that to be Captain Hook… > [@sciurophobic](#): > > My problem is, ISTM, is that for a sperm whale biting off just the bottom half of a leg seems like such a dainty bite Melville probably thought it would look silly if he described the whale as having _nibbled_ Ahab’s leg off. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/14 "2025-04-23T23:23:03Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZdaxoNqWwLM/maxresdefault.jpg "Gilbert Gottfried Moby Dick (Hilarious)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdaxoNqWwLM) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/15 "2025-04-23T23:32:27Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Sperm whale teeth aren’t really intended for cutting/tearing. What are they for? They are so odd. Having never actually seen one, that photo almost looks like AI. 😉 When I first saw this thread title, I thought it was going to be about whale sushi. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/16 "2025-04-23T23:40:27Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I would expect that to be Captain Hook… I cannot remember the name of the captain or his ship. Whenever the Pequod would meet another ship, Ahab would shout from the deck “Have you news of the white whale?” Everybody would say no. Ahab would go back to his cabin. Except the one time when the captain of the other ships holds up hammer strapped to his wrist in place of a hand and says “Seest thou this?” Ahab immediately wants to to go over to the other ship and talk. He cannot climb a rope ladded with one foot. They find a way to get him up to the deck of the other ship. The one-handed captain tells how he lost his hand in a meeting with Moby Dick.The one-handed captain extends his hammer prosthesis to say good bye. Rather than shaking it with his hand, Ahab raises his peg leg to touch it. Ishmael says (roughly) ‘It was the secret handshake of a very exclusive and undesirable club.’ ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/17 "2025-04-24T00:00:24Z")
Gilbert asks it better than I could. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/18 "2025-04-24T00:14:12Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > > > I would expect that to be Captain Hook… > > I cannot remember the name of the captain or his ship. Whenever the Pequod would meet another ship, Ahab would shout from the deck “Have you news of the white whale?” Everybody would say no. Ahab would go back to his cabin. Except the one time when the captain of the other ships holds up hammer strapped to his wrist in place of a hand and says “Seest thou this?” Ahab immediately wants to to go over to the other ship and talk. He cannot climb a rope ladded with one foot. They find a way to get him up to the deck of the other ship. The one-handed captain tells how he lost his hand in a meeting with Moby Dick.The one-handed captain extends his hammer prosthesis to say good bye. Rather than shaking it with his hand, Ahab raises his peg leg to touch it. Ishmael says (roughly) ‘It was the secret handshake of a very exclusive and undesirable club.’ My mistake. _Captain Hammer_ then, I guess. Ishmael’s take on it is hilarious, though. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/19 "2025-04-24T00:20:03Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > What are they for? They are so odd. Grabbing and holding soft-bodied squid for swallowing without chewing. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416/20 "2025-04-24T00:52:16Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Grabbing and holding soft-bodied squid for swallowing without chewing. I think the damage you see on the whale’s head below is from numerous battles it has had with squid: > **[https://i.redd.it/26pcf4zqse581.jpg](https://i.redd.it/26pcf4zqse581.jpg)** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moby-dick-and-whale-bites/1017416.md?page=2)