Learn why whales blow water out of their spouts and how high the water can go, with a fun comparison to a 3-storey building, perfect for young children.
Hi there! Have you ever seen a picture or video of a whale blowing water out of its nose? That water spray is called a spout, and it's really cool to watch!
Whales are big animals that live in the ocean. They breathe air like we do, but they have to come up from the water to take a deep breath. When a whale comes up to the surface, it breathes out through its blowhole, which is like its nose but on top of its head. When it breathes out, it pushes the warm air from its lungs out fast. The warm air meets the cold air outside, and this makes a big spray of water—kind of like blowing on a cold mirror and making it fog up.
This spray, or spout, can be very tall. In fact, it can be as high as a 3-storey building! That's about as tall as many of the houses or buildings you might see around you. So, next time you see a whale blow water out of its spout, remember that it's just the whale breathing out after holding its breath underwater!