blowhole

Everyday

1. A blowhole is the hole on the top of the head of a whale, dolphin or porpoise, through which it breathes air. tree →
2. A blowhole is a hole in rocks on the coast where sea water is pushed up and sprays into the air when waves come in. tree →
3. A blowhole can also be a hole in ice where seals come up to breathe. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, whales and dolphins are mammals, not fish, so they breathe air through their blowhole; the spray you see is warm breath, not a fountain of seawater. In geography, coastal blowholes form when waves erode caves in cliffs (famous ones in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii). Phrases: «spray from the blowhole», «come up to breathe».

Examples

• The whale breathed out through its blowhole. tree →
• A dolphin has one blowhole on the top of its head. tree →
• Water sprayed high from the blowhole in the rocks. tree →
• We visited the blowhole at Kiama in Australia. tree →
• The seal popped its head out of a blowhole in the ice. tree →
• Whales close their blowhole when they dive. tree →
• Stay behind the fence at the blowhole; waves can knock you over. tree →
• Some whales have two blowholes. tree →

Note

One word. Countable. Myth: whales do not shoot water out; the «spout» is mostly breath mixed with water drops. Baleen whales have two blowholes, toothed whales one. Safety: coastal blowholes and rock platforms are dangerous in big waves.