What Do Dinosaur Farts Sound Like?
Gather up your blocks! April Fool’s Day is a great time to use your toys to scientifically sort and categorize which animals fart and which don’t.
Here are the rules of the fart categorization game:
Here are the rules of the fart categorization game:
- Mammals (dog, cat, cow) go in the “Absolutely yes” pile. All mammals fart, especially you.
- Birds go in the “Never fart” pile. Have you ever heard a bird fart? Your Uncle Goose hasn’t.
- Bugs go in the “Weird smells” pile. While some bugs produce gases, they’re not farts.
- Fish go in the “Underwater bubbles” pile. Most fish don’t fart, but one fish species is famous for it!
- Dinosaurs go in the “Big mystery” pile. Obviously, we don’t have recordings of dinosaur farts, but scientists have theories, and so do you.
Here’s the gassy breakdown of animal fart categories:
All mammals fart.
Most mammals digest food with guts similar to ours. We all produce gas as a normal part of digestion. That means all mammals fart — from tiny little mice to big cows. Stack up the mammal blocks in the pro-toot pile.
Birds don’t fart.
Birds have a different digestive setup than mammals. They don’t have the same kind of large, gas-producing intestines that mammals do. So birds don’t fart. Occasionally, a tiny burp can happen, but it’s not a blower like a cow or hippo. You can place your Bird blocks in the “quiet” pile.
Some bugs smell bad.
Swallowtail caterpillars release an odor when threatened. Ladybugs can do something similar. Stink Bugs and Beetles can repel predators with the gases they release. Some ants produce gases or smells as a defense. However, none of these smells is the same as a mammal’s fart, because it’s not related to digestion. Some bugs need to go in the “noxious odors” pile.
Fish can create bubbles.
Most fish don’t fart. Instead, they can release gas through their mouths or gills to adjust buoyancy. However, herrings communicate by releasing gas from their swim bladder through their anal ducts. Scientists call these sounds FRTs — Fast Repetitive Ticks — so, yeah. FRTs are definitely Farts. Other fish? Not so much!
Dinosaur farts are a mystery.
And now, for the big question. Did dinosaurs ever fart? Given that many dinosaurs were plant-eating giants with long guts, it’s a good guess that some dinos could have produced digestive gas. Scientists even estimate that dinosaur farts were significant enough to warm up the planet, although they didn’t fart themselves into extinction. Pop your Dinosaur block in the “legendary mystery” pile.
And because it’s April Fool’s Day, it’s a good time to re-create what you think a dinosaur fart might sound like. While you’re at it, you might want to re-create the sounds of herring, cow, and whale farts, too. Enjoy learning and creating with Uncle Goose toys!
