In a calm lagoon of Baja California the spout or blow of adult and young gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus , was observed. Of three calves the maximum flow rate was 200 liters per second, and the duration of both expiration and inspiration was slightly less than 1 second. Gas passes through the external nares at 44 meters per second during inspiration and four to five times this rate during expiration. At this latitude the whale's spout consists mainly of seawater blown up during expiration.
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Kooyman et al. (1975) studied this question.