The Sneezing Whale

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Walt Disney Family Foundation Press, The Art of Pinocchio. The Walt Disney Family Museum, Simon and Schuster, Disney Animator Dies in Car Crash. A Whale of a Tale: Whales spend their lives in the water, some of them in the coldest seas on earth. Surely they catch colds?

We asked our readers to share some thoughts on whether whales get colds and snotty blowholes. A cold is caused by a rhinovirus, and since they don't have noses, catching a cold would be impossible for whales," writes Alan Hall. Rik Ouwens says something similar.

But if a biologist or medical expert knows better, please explain where I'm wrong. View image of Blowhole of a grey whale Eschrichtius robustus Credit: Cetaceans — the group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises — can definitely catch diseases, as can all animals. In other words, whales cannot catch the diseases we call "colds".

But might other diseases give whales snotty blowholes?

Nettie Hoogwerf Kroos agrees. View image of A short-finned pilot whale Credit: It would be a problem if they did. Unlike humans, cetaceans cannot breathe through their mouths, so if they get something stuck in their nostrils they can suffocate. In shallow water, dolphins sometimes sleep on the seabed rising regularly to the surface to breath. No - A whale or dolphin already exhales far faster than humans and other land mammals do.

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A human sneeze is about mph All mammals have hair at some point in their life and cetaceans are no exception. Although lost before or shortly after birth, tiny hairs are found around the tip of the rostrum.

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Like humans, whales cannot drink saltwater. Dolphins are mammals and breathe air into their lungs, just like we do. Dolphins cannot breathe under water like fish can as they do not have gills. Dolphins breathe through a nostril, called a blowhole , located right on top of their heads. This allows them to take breaths by exposing just the top of their heads to the air while they are swimming or resting under the water.

When a dolphin surfaces for air, he breathes out exhales first and then breathes in inhales fresh air; it only takes a fraction of a second for the dolphin to do this. The blow is the sound you hear, and the spray of water you see, when the dolphin forcefully breathes out and clears away any water resting on top of his blowhole. Dolphins do not breathe through their mouths in the same way as people can, they only breathe through their blowholes.

However, in a paper was published that reported on a dolphin that had learnt to breathe through its mouth. Dolphins are able to hold their breath for several minutes but typically they breathe about 4 or 5 times every minute. More facts about dolphins. Skip to main content.

What are the differences between whales, dolphins and porpoises? How many species of whales, dolphins and porpoises are there?

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How do whales, dolphins and porpoises communicate with each other? What are the different fins on a dolphin used for? How do whales, dolphins and porpoises hear? Do whales, dolphins and porpoises have a sense of smell? What do dolphins eat? How do dolphins sleep? Do whales and dolphins sneeze? Do whales, dolphins and porpoises have hair? How do dolphins breathe? Humpback whale Vanessa Mignon.