A whale surfacing in the ocean and blowing a tall misty spout into the air.

Big question

为什么鲸鱼会喷水？

Wèishénme jīngyú huì pēn shuǐ?

Why do whales spout water?

鲸鱼看起来像在喷水，是因为它们游上来呼气的时候，空气会从喷水孔冲出来。

Jīngyú kàn qǐlái xiàng zài pēn shuǐ, shì yīnwèi tāmen yóu shànglái hūqì de shíhou, kōngqì huì cóng pēnshuǐkǒng chōng chūlái.

鲸鱼和我们一样，也是要呼吸空气的哺乳动物。它们游到海面上来的时候，会先从头顶的喷水孔把气呼出来，再吸进新的空气。那一下很有力的呼气，会把水雾和海水一起冲起来，所以看起来就像在喷水一样。

Jīngyú hé wǒmen yíyàng, yě shì yào hūxī kōngqì de bǔrǔ dòngwù. Tāmen yóu dào hǎimiàn shànglái de shíhou, huì xiān cóng tóudǐng de pēnshuǐkǒng bǎ qì hū chūlái, zài xī jìn xīn de kōngqì. Nà yí xià hěn yǒulì de hūqì, huì bǎ shuǐwù hé hǎishuǐ yìqǐ chōng qǐlái, suǒyǐ kàn qǐlái jiù xiàng zài pēn shuǐ yíyàng.

如果你在船上远远地看到鲸鱼喷水，你觉得自己会先注意到什么呢？

Rúguǒ nǐ zài chuán shàng yuǎnyuǎn de kàndào jīngyú pēn shuǐ, nǐ juéde zìjǐ huì xiān zhùyì dào shénme ne?

Whales seem to spout water when they come up to breathe out air through their blowhole.

Whales are mammals, so they need air, just like we do. When a whale comes to the top of the ocean, it breathes out through the blowhole on top of its head and then breathes in again. The strong breath can push mist and seawater up, so it looks like a big splashy spout.

If you were on a boat and saw a whale spout far away, what do you think you would notice first?