Okay, we’re doing everything we can to not be crass about this  phenomena that was recently photographed by the captain of a U.S. research ship. As the vessel cruised near Antarctica, the crew spotted a minke whale. The captain snapped this pic … and the marine biology community has been fascinated ever since.

According Australian Antarctic Division principal research scientist Dr Nick Gales: “The white bits in the photo are pieces of ice-floe, the stream of pinky color behind the whale is a fecal plume — a.k.a. ‘poo’ — the large circle in the water is indeed the physical eruption of the whale’s flatulence.”

We’ll resist the obvious poo and fart jokes and share some high-brow facts regarding the photo. Gales and fellow scientists are tasked with learning more about what large marine predators — like the minke whale — eat, and where they eat it. Old school techniques demanded that the whales be killed to see what they’re ingesting … but these days, scientists can actually determine what the animals have munched on by analyzing their feces. The prey’s DNA can be identified in the poop.

Stop giggling. This is awesome science stuff.

This DNA analysis is not only breakthrough research — it’s necessary. Several nations’ fishing industries claim predatory marine mammals are depleting fish supplies. The whales’ populations should be controlled by hunting the critters, these folks say.

The DNA analysis, scientists claim, will better identify what the whales are eating — and will likely disprove those industrial complaints.

As for the fart-on-film, scientists say it’s likely that flatulence is just as common in whales as it in humans.

We’re doing everything we can not to make a “pull my flipper” joke. Really.

Mined by: J.C. Hutchins

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