what kind of whale was moby dick

Moby Dick was a fictional white sperm whale. Herman Melville based the character on a real albino sperm whale known as Mocha Dick, who was famous for his size, power, and resistance to whalers in the 19th century. The sperm whale species is known scientifically as Physeter macrocephalus, and Melville's whale in the novel is described as an enormous, intelligent, and ferocious white sperm whale with distinctive markings and injuries from previous hunts.