The Unlikely Scenario of Being Swallowed by a Killer Whale

Imagine yourself swallowed by a killer whale. Could such an event even occur, and if so, what would happen? Let's delve into the facts and explore the improbabilities of such a situation.

Reality Check: Whales don't Eat Humans

First and foremost, it's crucial to understand that killer whales, also known as orcas, do not view humans as food. Despite their fearsome reputation, these intelligent and curious animals have never been recorded as indulging in human flesh. There have been numerous instances where orcas have behaved protectively towards humans, as evidenced by a story from Twofold Bay, NSW, Australia, where an old man was rescued by an orca nearing the surface. The whale lifted him up and into the boat, a clear demonstration of the orcas' cognitive abilities to recognize and respond to human needs.

The Threat of Being Swallowed

Even if a human were somehow swallowed by a whale, the reality is that the whale's throat is not large enough to accommodate the human body. According to the Journal of Mammalogy, studies suggest that the throat of certain species, such as the sperm whale, is too small for a human to pass through. If, for the sake of argument, a person were to get past the teeth and into the throat, they would face a myriad of challenges.

Challenges of Survival

Teeth Wounds: A whale's teeth are incredibly large and could cause severe damage to the human body. Each tooth can be up to 20 centimeters long, comparable in size to a chef's knife. The whale would likely tear the person into smaller pieces.

Dark and Narrow Throats: Entering the whale's throat would mean navigating through a pitch-black, slimy environment with very little available oxygen and an increase in methane gas. These conditions would make it nearly impossible to breathe and survive.

Acidic Stomach Contents: Once in the stomach, the erosive effects of hydrochloric acid would begin to break down the body. The whale's digestive system would continue to break down the human tissue, leaving behind only bones.

Excretion: The Final Step

Even if a person managed to somehow make it to the digestive system, the excretion process would ultimately lead to their death. The whale's digestive tract would expel the body as whale feces, a process that would not save the individual but would, as the author humorously suggests, "probably be an improvement."

Conclusion

Given the reality that orcas do not eat humans, the improbable scenario of being swallowed by a killer whale is essentially a non-event. In real-world scenarios, if a person or dolphin were accidentally pulled into a whale's mouth, the whale would typically reject the object by 'coughing' them out, as observed in the case of bait fish and sea birds.

Ultimately, while the idea of a killer whale swallowing a human might make for an exciting piece of fiction, from a realistic standpoint, it remains an unlikely and implausible event.