What Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale?

🐋Whales, especially the blue whale, are not designed to swallow large prey like humans. Their throat opening is about the size of a basketball, making it impossible for them to swallow anything bigger.

🐋In the rare event that someone enters the mouth of a sperm whale, they would face a hostile environment with pointy teeth, lack of oxygen, and high levels of methane gas. The prey would not survive the journey.

🐋The gastric juices and hydrochloric acid in the whale's stomachs would rapidly dissolve the prey's skin, leaving only the skeleton. The prey would eventually be excreted as waste.

🐋The story of James Bartley, a man claimed to be swallowed by a whale and survived, is a hoax. It is scientifically improbable for a whale to swallow a human whole without causing fatal injuries.

🐋There are two types of whales: toothed whales, like sperm whales and orcas, and baleen whales, like blue whales and humpbacks. Toothed whales have teeth, while baleen whales have baleen plates to filter their food.

Is it possible to survive if you get swallowed by a whale?

—No, it is highly unlikely. The hostile environment and digestive processes of a whale's stomach make it almost impossible for a human to survive being swallowed.

What happened to James Bartley, the man who was claimed to be swallowed by a whale?

—The story of James Bartley is a hoax. There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that he was swallowed by a whale and survived.

Can a whale swallow a human whole?

—No, whales, especially the blue whale, are not designed to swallow large prey like humans. Their throat opening is too small to accommodate anything bigger than small prey.

How do whales eat if they can't swallow large prey?

—Baleen whales use baleen plates to filter small sea creatures, like plankton, and swallow them whole. Toothed whales hunt and catch their prey, usually fish and squid, using their teeth.

What is the difference between toothed whales and baleen whales?

—Toothed whales have teeth and are generally smaller in size. They hunt and catch their prey. Baleen whales do not have teeth and are larger in size. They filter plankton and small sea creatures with their baleen plates.

00:12Introduces the topic of being swallowed by a whale and the popular myth surrounding it.

01:14Shares the story of James Bartley, a man claimed to be swallowed by a whale and survived, but it is debunked as a hoax.

02:50Explains the anatomy of whales and why it is almost impossible for them to swallow a human.

03:34Describes the hostile conditions inside the throat and stomach of a sperm whale, making it deadly for any prey to survive.

04:57Debunks the myth further by explaining the process of digestion in a whale's stomach, which dissolves skin and leaves only the prey's skeleton.

05:12Shares interesting facts about the different types of whales: toothed whales and baleen whales.