Skip to main content

How whales breathe, communicate ... and fart with their faces - Joy Reidenberg

58,192 Views

1,335 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Comparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg studies the body structure of many different animals in the hope of adapting their unique qualities for human applications. Her favorite? Whales. In this TEDYouth Talk, Reidenberg explains how these majestic, awe-inspiring mammals "fart with their face" (a process more formally known as echolocation) to send their unique sounds through the water.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Joy Reidenberg, PhD is a professor of Anatomy and Functional Morphology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. As a biomedical research scientist, Reidenberg studies the comparative anatomy of the mammalian head and neck. She has examined a large variety of animals ranging from insects to humans, but her particular fascination is with aquatic animals. Much of Reidenberg’s recent work is focused on how animals adapt to environmental extremes.
Here's more about Joy's research.

The award-winning series that gets under the skin of the largest animals on the planet. Most wildlife documentaries show how animals behave, but by exploring their anatomy, Inside Nature's Giants reveals how these creatures really work. More about Joy's work on this show.

Veterinary scientist Mark Evans and comparative anatomist Dr. Joy Reidenberg dissect a sperm whale’s enormous organs to reveal the secrets of this 45-foot deep-sea giant, which stranded and died on Pegwell Bay, Kent, England.
“The truth was too hard to explain,” she said: “ ‘Don’t mind me, I was inside a whale yesterday.’ ” Read the entire article in the New York Times here.
http://www.oprah.com/money/Anatomist-Joy-Reidenberg-Dissecting-Animals

Next Section »

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Speaker Joy Reidenberg

More from Awesome Nature