Costanza and the Whale: Could You Make a Blowhole in One?
Dr. Joy S. Reidenberg comments on whether a golf ball could obstruct a whale's blowhole.
In the sitcom Seinfeld, George Costanza was once a fake marine biologist who found a golf ball in a whale's blowhole, blocking the whale from breathing. Yet, according to Dr. Joy S. Reidenberg, Professor in the Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, it's doubtful that George could ever realize his fake profession. "A golf ball could fit into one of the nostrils of a large whale, such as a humpback. Whether it would cause an obstruction is doubtful. It's more likely to get swallowed, but even then would not likely cause stranding or death," said Dr. Reidenberg. Learn more.
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