> Science is answering the question humanity has always wondered: which animal farts the most?

Flatology, the study of flatulence, sounds more like a joke than a serious scientific discipline. But studying farts actually helps biologists understand an animal's diet and digestion.

We know that a host of creatures x from whales, to snakes, to sloths ‪— pass gas. But do we know which animal is the top tooter? Experts told Live Science the answer is blowing in the wind.

"Getting quantitative measurements for farts per animal is pretty difficult," Nick Caruso, a data scientist and co-author of '"Does It Fart?: The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence'' (Quercus Publishing, 2017), told Live Science in an email.

What we can do is hypothesize using the data we do have. Expelled gas is made partially of methane, so comparing methane emissions produced by different species may provide a clue. However, this method does have limitations, experts pointed out.
Fart league

Researchers measure the methane animals produce by placing them inside respiration chambers, then inserting a capsule into the stomach that releases a tracer gas while strapping them with a harness that samples their breath. Alternatively, they capture their breath at stations where they feed or are milked.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/whi … wtab-en-us