Do whales fart?

Two doubts remain, however, before we can make a definitive conclusion. The first is the speed of digestion, for which there are few data for whales and which can vary from one species to another. A fast and efficient metabolism would not be very conducive to the formation of farts.

Secondly, the whale’s sphincter is relatively loose (needless to say, cetaceans don’t need to hold the urge for very long before they can find a place to go!), so gases may not have time to build up if they are eliminated as fast as they are produced. A number of observers thus mention seeing large bubbles when a whale defecates. Researchers working in Antarctica in 2003 even managed to photograph this phenomenon.

And in the field?

Even if whales are apparently capable of farting, few observers have ever actually witnessed such an event. In our quest for flatulence anecdotes, we interviewed GREMM researchers and research assistants. Zilch! Despite having spent thousands of hours on the water in the company of cetaceans, none of them has ever been able to formally identify a whale or beluga fart. We would ultimately have to launch an international appeal to obtain some first-hand testimony.

Amy Tudor, who works on whale tours offered by Mariner Cruises in the Bay of Fundy, shared the best and most intriguing anecdote:

“I’ve been watching whales since 2015, and only twice have I seen the phenomenon: the first with the humpback Bayou, and the second time with Sockeye. Surprisingly, both these individuals are “people watchers”, often lingering and showing off in proximity to the boat.”

“These two videos of Bayou are from 2017. I remember seeing big bubbles coming up to the surface. They were more oval-shaped than round, and about the size of a watermelon. Then there was a huge cloud of bubbles. We were still wondering where the bubbles were coming from… until we got a visual! When Bayou rolled onto its side near the surface, we could see that the source was not the mouth or the snout, but rather from under the tail. Then came the smell… ”

And in case you were wondering: whale gas apparently does not smell particularly good. This is likely due to their fish- and shellfish-based diet, as well as the large amount of gases emitted. “The smell resembles neither bad breath nor a land mammal’s fart,” says Amy Tudor. It was more like a combination of herring breath and the funk of rotten salad. It’s quite bizarre and difficult to describe. In the video, you can see the reaction of the passengers when they get a whiff of the stench!”