In the upcoming movie Whalefall, scuba diver Jay Gardiner is pulled into a sperm whale’s mouth while tangled in a squid tentacle. The story mirrors classic tales like Jonah and Pinocchio, where characters end up inside a whale’s stomach.
It’s possible, but unlikely. According to Joy Reidenberg, an expert on whale anatomy, a very large adult sperm whale could accidentally swallow a person. These whales can grow over 18 meters long, much bigger than most we see today. However, other large whales like fin whales wouldn’t be able to swallow someone because their throats are too narrow. Reidenberg knows this from studying whale carcasses—she barely fits her arm down their throats.
Baleen whales, including fin whales, feed on tiny creatures like krill and plankton by filtering water through baleen plates. This creates a slurry they “drink,” unlike the way toothed whales like sperm whales hunt large prey.
In rare cases, people have been caught by baleen whales while they were hunting. For example, in 2019, a Bryde’s whale briefly grabbed a photographer off South Africa before letting go. These incidents are accidental and not intentional hunting.
Sperm whales, on the other hand, hunt giant and colossal squid, which can be up to 14 meters long. While they could theoretically swallow a person, such events are extremely rare.