WEBVTT - Why Do Beached Whales Explode Sometimes?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbam. Here just a heads up. This one gets

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit gross because we are talking about how

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<v Speaker 1>as some unlucky seaside towns have come to realize, disposing

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<v Speaker 1>of a deceased beached whale is more complex than simply

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<v Speaker 1>shoving it back in the ocean like some giant goldfish

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<v Speaker 1>flushed down an equally massive drain. The first to consider

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<v Speaker 1>is if the gigantic beast is going to explode. While

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<v Speaker 1>the idea might smell fishy a pun intended. Sorry, it's

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<v Speaker 1>totally true. Beached whales can and do explode, although not

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<v Speaker 1>very many of them will explode without a little help.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's take a moment to pinch our noses and

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<v Speaker 1>discuss those conditions. What on Earth, or at least what

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<v Speaker 1>in a whale could cause a mammalion corpse to explode.

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<v Speaker 1>The short answer is a bad case of gas. After

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<v Speaker 1>a whale dies, or after anything dies for that matter,

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<v Speaker 1>gases and most specifically methane build up in the stomach

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<v Speaker 1>and other organs. That's because bacterias are eating the dead

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<v Speaker 1>body from the inside and they excrete gases like methane.

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<v Speaker 1>This is, to be fair, an important part of the

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<v Speaker 1>natural decomposition process. Now, what usually happens next is that

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<v Speaker 1>the body's skin begins to disintegrate, at which point the

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<v Speaker 1>whale deflates slowly as the gas seeps out, but occasionally,

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<v Speaker 1>very occasionally, the skin of the whale, which is quite tough,

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<v Speaker 1>keeps stretching to accommodate the gas until it reaches a

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<v Speaker 1>breaking point, at which point cobluey, which brings us to

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<v Speaker 1>a word of warning. This process is unpredictable at best

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<v Speaker 1>and hazardous at worst. It's best to stay away from

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<v Speaker 1>dead whales, and not just because of the smell. If

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<v Speaker 1>you should poke or prod a methane filled whale, you're

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<v Speaker 1>giving it ample reason to explode before it has a

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<v Speaker 1>chance to deflate naturally, even if you're not messing with it.

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<v Speaker 1>Remember that it could burst open at any time. Should

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<v Speaker 1>you be too close to it. When it releases, you

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<v Speaker 1>might find yourself chest deep in liquefied innerds. It might

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<v Speaker 1>even require a rescue, So do yourself a favor and

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<v Speaker 1>pay your respects from a distance. By the way, if

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<v Speaker 1>this is making you a little nervous about your own

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<v Speaker 1>potentially explosive afterlife. You have good reason. As I said earlier,

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<v Speaker 1>other animals, including humans, also produce gases after death. But

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<v Speaker 1>our only explosion risk comes from a casket too tightly

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<v Speaker 1>sealed that wouldn't allow for any circulation. Too much gas

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<v Speaker 1>build up, and you have an exploding casket on your

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<v Speaker 1>hands and possibly your hair and clothes and shoes. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the article what makes beached whales

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<v Speaker 1>Explode on how stuffworks dot Com, written by Kate Kershner.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with

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<v Speaker 1>HowStuffWorks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four

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