“If a whale got close to me, could it swallow me whole?” You probably thought of this question once or twice if you ever swam in the ocean, or hopped on a whale-watching tour. To address whether whales can eat humans, we first need to understand the anatomy and behavior of different whale species. There are two primary families of whales: baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti).
Baleen whales have huge mouths
Baleen whales, including blue whales, humpback whales, and gray whales, are filter feeders. They have baleen plates instead of teeth. These plates are made of keratin, allowing them to filter small prey such as krill, plankton, and small fish from the water.
The feeding process of baleen whales involves taking in large amounts of water and prey, then pushing the water out through their baleen plates while retaining the food. We call this filter-feeding. However, while their mouth is huge, and can ingest tons of krill each day, the size of their esophagus is relatively small, typically no larger than a tennis ball at rest. Even though they can inflate their esophagus by 30% when they feed, it makes it biologically impossible for them to swallow a human. Even if a human were to end up in the mouth of a baleen whale, the whale would likely spit them out since they are not equipped to swallow such large objects. It has actually happened before (keep reading for the anecdote).
But toothed whales have larger throats…
Toothed whales include sperm whales, beaked whales, killer whales, dolphins, and porpoises. These whales have teeth and actively hunt larger prey such as fish, squid, and sometimes even seals. Sperm whales, for instance, can dive to great depths to hunt giant squid. Their esophagus, although larger than that of baleen whales compared to their body size, is still incapable of swallowing a human whole. Killer whales sometimes prey on other marine mammals but there are no documented cases of them attacking humans in the wild to eat them.
That being said, I once worked on a sample that was collected from a killer whale that died with a whole seal head in its stomach (Rosing-Asvid, A., personal communication). In 2020 there was also a female Bigg’s killer whale off the coast of Russia in the Bering Sea that consumed seven sea otters whole, with their intact remains discovered in her gastrointestinal tract during a necropsy.
However, accidents sometimes happen, and if dolphins swallow a large enough prey, they could choke and die. There have been several cases where dolphins have died because they had large fish stuck in their throats, it is a phenomenon called fatal aspiration. Remember the female killer whale that swallowed the seven sea otters? Turns out, the last one (the biggest otter) got stuck in her esophagus and caused the adult female to suffocate to death.
Myth: Whales have swallowed humans
The notion of whales eating humans can appear in historical anecdotes and literature. One of the most famous stories is that of Jonah from the Bible. He was swallowed by a “great fish” and allegedly survived in its belly for three days and three nights.
Another widely circulated story from the late 19th century tells the story of James Bartley, a sailor who allegedly survived being swallowed by a sperm whale. According to the tale, Bartley was still alive inside the stomach of the whale after whalers harpooned it. However, the story lacks credible evidence and is widely regarded as a myth or an exaggeration.
In 2021, Michael Packard, a lobster diver off the coast of Massachusetts, got caught in the mouth of a humpback whale. According to Packard, he was diving when suddenly he felt a bump, and everything went dark. Realizing he was inside a whale’s mouth, he feared for his life but after about 30 seconds, the whale surfaced and spit him out. Packard sustained minor injuries and received treatment at a local hospital.
Could whales attack humans?
Whales are generally not aggressive towards humans. Most species are curious and gentle, often approaching boats and divers out of curiosity rather than aggression.
Whale watching has become a popular activity, allowing humans to observe these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. While this provides valuable opportunities for education and conservation, it also highlights the need for responsible and respectful interactions. We have a whole series of posts on this topic. Whales, particularly baleen whales, often exhibit surface-feeding behaviors and breaches that can bring them close to boats. However, these interactions are typically gentle and pose little threat to humans.
Killer whales boats “attacks”
In the wild, there have been no recorded cases of killer whales killing humans. In captivity, however, there have been incidents where orcas have injured or killed trainers, which motivated the making of the Blackfish documentary for example. These incidents are often the result of stress and unnatural conditions of captivity rather than predatory behavior.
Additionally, recent occurrences of killer whale attacks on boats in the Iberian Peninsula have raised concerns. However, researchers suggest that these interactions are likely playful rather than aggressive, indicative of the whales’ curiosity and intelligence rather than a potential malicious intent.
So in the end, can whales eat and swallow us?
While there are anecdotal stories and rare instances of close encounters, the anatomical and behavioral characteristics of whales make it highly improbable for them to swallow a human whole and digest it. Baleen whales, with their filter-feeding mechanisms, do not possess a throat large enough to swallow large things like humans. Toothed whales have larger throats, but do not exhibit behavior that suggests they would see humans as prey, and their throats are still too small to swallow us whole. Most interactions between humans and whales are peaceful and often driven by mutual curiosity.
Understanding and respecting whales and all marine life is essential for ensuring safe and positive interactions. As we continue to learn more about whales through research and observation, it becomes clear that they are not the fearsome man-eaters of myths but instead complex, intelligent beings that share our oceans’ beauty.
Sources and further reading
- Gil, Kelsey N., A. Wayne Vogl, and Robert E. Shadwick. “Morphology and mechanics of the fin whale esophagus: the key to fast processing of large food volumes by rorquals.” Integrative Organismal Biology 6.1 (2024).
- Stolen, M., St. Leger, J., Durden, W. N., Mazza, T., & Nilson, E. (2013). Fatal asphyxiation in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Indian River Lagoon. PloS one, 8(6), e66828.
- Fomin, S. V., Fedutin, I. D., Borisova, E. A., Meschersky, I. G., & Filatova, O. A. (2023). Short Note: Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) Found in the Stomach of a Stranded Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in the Commander Islands, Western North Pacific. Aquatic Mammals, 49(5).
Did you enjoy this post? Find out more about whale biology here:
Anaïs is the founder of Whale Scientists. She is a postdoc fellow at Simon Fraser University working on killer whale ecology, pollution, and health impacts. You can read more about her here.
Discover more from Whale Scientists
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.