The Most Dangerous and Worst Farts in History

We have a lesson here on flatulence, focusing on the most dangerous or worst farts in the world. People are capable of producing some serious farts, but animals can do the same. There is a snake that inhales air to make scary noises, insects that kill with their farts, and fish that can die if they don’t fart properly. But which farts are the worst? It depends on how you define the worst.

Cows Release More Methane Than the Oil Industry

Cows and other ruminants release methane into the atmosphere due to chemical reactions in their digestive systems. Methane is released through cow burps, exhalations, and farts.

There are about 1.5 billion cows in the world, each of which releases up to 100 kilograms of methane annually.

Methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, although its effects are shorter-lived. In addition to livestock, methane is also released from rice cultivation, among other sources.

A Boy Was Hospitalized After Trying a Fire Fart

Things can get out of hand when imagination takes over during play. Lighting a fart can be dangerous, so don’t play with fire and farts, except maybe in stories or on Liekkipieru.fi website.

Although Finns are generally wise people, a 12-year-old boy unfortunately suffered due to his dangerous attempt at lighting a fart. After a fart game, he tried to ignite the gas coming from his rear end, and it went horribly wrong. There were no laughs or applause, only a quick trip to the hospital. Thankfully, he recovered without serious injuries.

A Small Snake Uses Farts for Defense

The western hognose snake is a small snake native to the deserts of the United States and Mexico, famous for its nose shape and loud farts to confuse its enemies.

Cobras and rattlesnakes have deadly venom, pythons and boas have strong muscles, but the western hognose snake lacks both, so it relies on an unusual defense mechanism: farting. When threatened, it releases a series of rumbling air bubbles from its cloaca—the general excretion opening of the snake. This odd defense, known as cloacal popping or defensive flatulence, is designed to confuse predators long enough for the snake to escape.

An Insect That Kills with Farts

A small but powerful larvae produces a silent but deadly fart that stuns potential predators.

When the larvae encounters termites, it raises its rear end to termite head height and releases a steam-phase toxic substance called allomone. This fart knocks the termites out cold, and the larvae feeds on their frozen bodies. Essentially, this larvae farts, as researchers have confirmed. The larvae can take out several termites with one potent fart, depending on how many unsuspecting termites are downwind when the toxic fart cloud is released.

The Herring, the Farting Fish

Every little boy´s dream: talking with farts. But that’s part of the herring’s daily life. New research shows that fish make noise by releasing air bubbles from their backs. Researchers believe this noise might be used for communication.

Compared to most other fish, herring have good hearing, and researchers have wondered if they use sound to communicate with each other. In fact, fish make various whistles and pops.

Two research teams recently placed microphones and cameras around fish schools to study herring sounds. The team discovered that herring often release bubbles from their rear ends when frightened or while rising or descending. They reported this odd finding earlier this year in the journal Aquatic Living Resources. So, fish can fart, at least herring can.

The Loudest Fart in the World?

According to the Guinness World Records, the loudest fart ever recorded was a 113-decibel fart made by Herkimer Chort Ripley from New York on October 11, 1972. This extraordinary achievement surpassed the noise level of a chainsaw and was even louder than a rock concert. Ripley’s record-breaking flatulence became an iconic moment in history, and it remains a quirky part of the Guinness World Records to this day. While his fart was a source of amusement for many, it also brought attention to the odd and sometimes overlooked achievements that can make their way into the record books.