“Though according to the report his skin was bleached by the gastric acids and he was permanently blind from the incident, Bartley lived 18 more years and toured the world recounting his experiences as the modern-day Jonah.
“The only person on record to reject Bartley’s claims was the boat captain’s wife, who was not an eyewitness.”
However, many historians are no convinced by Bartley’s account, finding inconsistencies in his story.
According to historian Edward Davis, the story may have been inspired by the Gorleston whale, a 30ft rorqual or baleen whale killed near Great Yarmouth in June 1981.
Similarly, biologists do not believe it would be possible for a human to be swallowed whole, let alone survive inside of a whale.
Dr Craig McClain of the Lousiana University Marine Consortium said: “I know that the oesophagus of a whale shark measures only inches across.
