Learn why whales make big spouts of water when they come to the surface, explained simply for young children.
Hi there! Have you ever seen a big whale blow a splash of water high up in the air? That splash is called a spout.
Whales are warm-blooded animals that breathe air, just like us. But they live in the water! When a whale comes up from swimming underwater, it needs to breathe.
The whale has a special hole on top of its head called a blowhole. When the whale comes up, it breathes out fast and strong through this blowhole. This makes a big spray of water and mist that we call a spout.
It's like when you blow on hot soup and see steam coming out. The whale's spout is made of warm air and water vapor coming out of its blowhole.
So, when you see a whale's spout, it means the whale is taking a big breath before diving back underwater to swim and play!