Whale Snot Collector

SNOTBOT ®. CREDIT: OCEAN ALLIANCE, INC.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT: The SnotBot helps scientists collect “snot” samples from whales.

Thar she blows! Whenever a whale surfaces, it exhales a mighty breath from its blowhole. This creates a spray of seawater and bacteria—a mixture sometimes referred to as “whale snot.” Researchers at Ocean Alliance in Massachusetts have created a tool to help scientists collect this spray: the SnotBot®. 

SNOTBOT ®. CREDIT: OCEAN ALLIANCE, INC.

The SnotBot collects snot droplets on petri dishes, as seen on the top left of the drone.

The SnotBot is a type of drone outfitted with specialized attachments. When a SnotBot flies through a whale’s spray, it collects snot droplets on petri dishes. These samples contain the naturally occurring microbes that live inside the whale. This data can provide valuable information about the whale’s health.

SNOTBOT ®. CREDIT: OCEAN ALLIANCE, INC.

DRONE ON DUTY: A SnotBot® flies into a whale’s spray to collect data without causing the animal harm.

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