The dwarf sperm whale prefers deep water, but is more coastal than the pygmy sperm. Its favorite habitat appears to be just off the continental shelf. In the Atlantic, stranding s have been observed in Virginia, United States in the west and Spain and the United Kingdom in the east, and as far south as southern Brazil and the tip of Africa. In the Indian Ocean, specimens have been found on the south coast of Australia and on many places along the Indian Ocean's northern coast - from South Africa right round to Indonesia. In the Pacific, the known range includes the Japanese coast and British Columbia. No global population estimates have been made. One survey estimated a population of about 11,000 in the eastern Pacific.