"Skipper Bob Do Whales Fart?" my young guest asked me.

"Skipper Bob do whales fart?" my young guest asked me. Of course it brought some laughter to the group I was leading at the time. Only 6 year olds can ask such straightforward questions without rebuke!

Well it stumped me for a minute or two. Whales have digestive tracts like all mammals with a stomach and intestines. One of the reasons I had heard experts claim whales breached was to help to evacuate their bowels so did this mean that they did not have the gas propellant in their digestive tracts to aid in this necessary function. SO I had to look up and tell him I was not sure. I had never seen a whale have flatulence though  I was pretty sure I had smelled something similiar on our excursions. The smell I always said was the whale's breath but what if it wasn't! That sulphurous odiferous smell on occasion could be exactly what it smelled like GAS!

Whales make scat in the ocean all the time and I have seen it on many occasions and occasionally have swam through their poop. 
NOTE TO SELF: Keep mouth closed and keep snorkel above surface!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well of course when we reached shore Google provided the answer for me.

Yes whales do FART (flatulence for us older than 6). Their digestive tracts are like humans that digest and produce gas in their guts and intestines that can escape from their whale bums.

Of course none of this should surprise me nature being what it is. A natural process for mammals should be universal. Well I have proof below. Watch the video and see for yourself Whales do Fart Tim!! You can see the gas rising from his tail and no it is not air from his blowhole it is too far away. I also slowed down the video at the end so you can see better!! 


Keep up your ecological wonder of the world Tim and don't stop asking questions!!!!!

https://youtu.be/5mEePulli3c

Your buddy,
Skipper Bob Bartlett

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