Do whales swallow humans?

Among the 90 known species of whales, the sperm whale is the only one that has a throat large enough to swallow a human.

The name of a diver made headlines in global newspapers a few days ago, described as having miraculously survived being “swallowed” by a humpback whale off Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Michael Packard, who survived the whale attack, says he struggled inside the whale’s mouth for 30 seconds before this marine giant spat him out and threw him to the surface.

Although the humpback whale can easily fit a human inside its massive mouth—which can reach up to about 3.5 meters—it is scientifically impossible for the whale to swallow a human, according to Nicola Hodgins from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a British nonprofit organization.

The throat of the humpback whale is the size of a human fist, and its diameter can expand to about 15 inches to accommodate a larger meal. “Hodgins” says that in the case of “Parkard,” the whale realized its mistake and immediately expelled him, as it was a painful experience for both “Parkard” and the whale, which was just trying to eat some fish.

The idea of whales swallowing humans has long been a part of ancient stories, to the extent that many people believe it to be true. However, it is scientifically impossible for all types of whales, except for the sperm whale, to swallow something the size of a human.
Toothed whales, such as sperm whales, have teeth and feed on prey, including squid and fish.

At the same time, baleen whales such as humpback whales, blue whales, gray whales, and minke whales have special bristles in their mouths instead of teeth, and they feed on small prey like plankton, krill, and small fish.

These fibers are known as bristles, and they are made of a strong yet flexible protein called “keratin,” which is the same substance that makes up human hair and nails. During feeding, the whale takes in a large gulp of seawater and uses its baleen like a sieve to retain food in its mouth while pushing the water out through the gaps.

Among the 90 known species of whales in the oceans, sperm whales are the only type that have throats large enough to technically swallow a human. Mammals that are about 20 meters long have a large esophagus that feeds on larger prey, such as giant squid, which they sometimes swallow whole.

In fact, the giant squid, which can reach a length of about 14 meters, was found inside the stomach of a sperm whale.

This means that it is physically possible for a sperm whale to swallow a human, but this is extremely rare due to the lack of encounters between humans and sperm whales, which inhabit the deep depths of the oceans.

Rob Deaville from the Zoological Society in the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme in London says, “Most people will never have the chance to see a sperm whale in their lifetime.” While sperm whales are widely distributed around the world, they live in deep waters exceeding 300 meters.

It cannot be considered that whales are aggressive towards humans. Devil says, “Whales should be more fearful of us due to the pressures that humans exert on these creatures, such as hunting, pollution, and habitat destruction.”