What Happens To Your Body If You're Swallowed By A Whale

It's easy to think a whale can eat a person. They are some of the largest creatures in the world and serve a vital link in the ecosystem. Most whales, especially the humpback, feed on small sea creatures such as krill. What this means is that their bodies are more suited to filtering seawater than crunching and munching fragile human bones.

Smithsonian Magazine explained some whales like the whale shark know they're not supposed to eat people, so if they accidentally close their mouths around something they're not supposed to, these whales will spit you out. This was exactly what happened to both Packard and Schimpf.

It's not all good, though. According to INSH, there's a story of a sailor swallowed by a sperm whale, so we might have an idea of what bodies go through. Toothed whales like the sperm whale can lacerate a victim with their sharp teeth. These are about as long as an average chef's knife, and they have 40 to 50 of these bad boys. But that's not even the more dangerous thing that can happen to you inside a whale.

If you survive the sharp knives masquerading as teeth, it's time to squeeze through the esophagus. Sperm whales often swallow prey like squid whole, so humans can make it through their throat. A whale's throat is not only a tight space, but it's also dark and slimy. You'll also feel slightly lightheaded from the lack of oxygen and high methane content in the air.

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