Video is circulating online that shows a man kayaking in Chile's Strait of Magellan when a humpback whale suddenly appears — and then the two vanish. Moments later, the kayaker resurfaces, unharmed. And days later, multiple headlines claimed that a whale "swallowed" the man before quickly spitting him back out.
"Humpback whale swallows and spits out kayaker in incident captured on camera," says CNN's headline. "A humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker in Chilean Patagonia — and it's all captured on camera," says AP. "Humpback whale swallows kayaker briefly before spitting him out," says The Guardian.
But when I looked at the clip — which is stunning on its own, without the need for mythical enrichment — the idea that the man was "swallowed" seemed suspicious. (See video below, posted by The Guardian.)
Then, when I found a National Geographic article on the subject, it seemed impossible — unless the man is a citizen of Lilliput. "Humpback whales can't swallow a human. Here's why," says National Geographic's title. And here's the article in a nutshell:
Though a humpback could easily fit a human inside its huge mouth—which can reach around 10 feet—it's scientifically impossible for the whale to swallow a human once inside, according to Nicola Hodgins of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a U.K. nonprofit.
A humpback's throat is roughly the size of a human fist, and can only stretch to about 15 inches in diameter to accommodate a bigger meal.
…it's scientifically impossible for all but one whale species—the sperm whale—to swallow something as large as a person.
Perhaps the humpback clutched the man in its mouth before releasing him, or perhaps it just dragged him under water before the man popped back up. Either way, it was a terrifying experience on its own, and made for some awesome video, even if we didn't get to see the inside of a whale's throat.
Previously: Breaching whale capsizes fishing boat (video)
