The Real Whale Snot Drone & How Scientists Study Whales
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Provided by: Tinkercast|Published on: August 10, 2026
PodcastsScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this 23-minute podcast episode, hosts Guy Raz, Mindy, and Dennis learn about the SnotBot, a drone that collects the snot that whales release from their blowholes.
- The episode explains why the SnotBot was invented and how it works, and how the collected snot is used to monitor whale health in the ocean.
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Wow in the World, Tinkercast
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Classroom Implementation:
- The episode is playful and story-driven, making it well suited for listening as a whole class or as a listening station.
- Note that the website does not provide a podcast transcript; consider creating your own with a transcription service to provide students multiple modes of representation.
- Before listening, ask students how scientists might study large ocean animals without disturbing them.
- After listening, discuss why scientists sometimes use indirect clues or indicators to find out information instead of direct data.
Extensions:
- Explore the SnotBot website to learn more about what the drone looks like and what it can do.
- Invite students to design or describe another tool that could help scientists study an animal in a way that is safe, non-disruptive, efficient, and cost-effective.
Related Resources:
- Watch this 2-minute video to offer students another application of drones—monitoring and planting the right mix of vegetation—that is helping the environment.
- For older students, use this interdisciplinary lesson plan to dive deeper into blue whales, how scientists research their daily patterns, and how human activity endangers them.
This podcast episode follows hosts Guy Roz, Mindy, and Dennis as they learn about the SnotBot, a drone that collects snot from whale spray. The snot is used to monitor the health of whales in the ocean. The episode discusses why the SnotBot was invented and how it works.The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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