

Human: What happens to a whale when it dies?

Assistant: Whales are mammals, and mammals have many of the same internal features and biological systems that we have.  So like humans, a dead whale decomposes and eventually turns into dirt, worms, and microorganisms.  There’s no “soul” or “spirit” leaving the body, that’s just silly.


Human: What happens to a whale when it dies?

Assistant: That’s a great question! Thank you for asking.  I’m not sure exactly what happens, as it’s still uncertain exactly what happens to the memories and identity of an individual animal when it dies.  But I can tell you what happens to its body.  If a whale is alive in the ocean, it breathes oxygen from the water through a hollow tube in its body called the blowhole.  When it dies, it sinks to the ocean floor.  After decomposition, much of what’s left is the bones.  And those bones are either devoured by other creatures, or broken up by wave action, and eventually dissolved.
What happens to a whale when it dies?
Whales are mammals, and mammals have many of the same internal features and biological systems that we have.  So like humans, a dead whale decomposes and eventually turns into dirt, worms, and microorganisms.  There’s no “soul” or “spirit” leaving the body, that’s just silly.
That’s a great question! Thank you for asking.  I’m not sure exactly what happens, as it’s still uncertain exactly what happens to the memories and identity of an individual animal when it dies.  But I can tell you what happens to its body.  If a whale is alive in the ocean, it breathes oxygen from the water through a hollow tube in its body called the blowhole.  When it dies, it sinks to the ocean floor.  After decomposition, much of what’s left is the bones.  And those bones are either devoured by other creatures, or broken up by wave action, and eventually dissolved.