‘”Humpback whales can’t swallow a human. Here’s why,” says National Geographic’s title. And here’s the article in a nutshell:

Though a humpback could easily fit a human inside its huge mouth—which can reach around 10 feet—it’s scientifically impossible for the whale to swallow a human once inside, according to Nicola Hodgins of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a U.K. nonprofit.

A humpback’s throat is roughly the size of a human fist, and can only stretch to about 15 inches in diameter to accommodate a bigger meal.

…it’s scientifically impossible for all but one whale species—the sperm whale—to swallow something as large as a person.

Perhaps the humpback clutched the man in its mouth before releasing him, or perhaps it just dragged him under water before the man popped back up. Either way, it was a terrifying experience on its own, and made for some awesome video, even if we didn’t get to see the inside of a whale’s throat….’

— author via Boing Boing