When memes fail anatomy: The scale of a blue whale’s butthole
Is a politician really the world’s second biggest a-hole?
Just in time for the new year, I have a story about whale butts! I cannot overstate the glee with which I wrote this story. And it is 100% the result of a compulsion to fact check. I saw a meme about a politician, and I thought to myself, is that true? Is a whale's anus really that large?
I soon realized a quick Google would not give me a good answer, and I would need to call up some experts. And then I thought, hmmm, maybe others want to know this too, and maybe I can get paid to find out. Turns out, it was yes on both counts. I also learned a good bit about whale digestion and whale poop.
One of my favorite things about writing for Ars Technica, other than my fantastic editor there, is that the people who read Ars are geeky and curious and active in the comments section. This article generated so many great comments. I read every one.
