What makes baleen whales special?
Baleen whales include the blue whale. This is largest creature to ever roam the earth. Blue whales can grow to more than 30m long and their heart is the same size as a tempo. Baleen whales eat by taking enormous gulps of water with small fish, shrimp-like creatures called krill and tiny animals called zooplankton and straining out the food with their baleen as they push the water back out with their tongue. Baleen is a sieve-like device that helps Mysticeti (baleen whales) catch very small prey in large amounts. Baleen grows from the roof of the mouth (upper jaw) of baleen whales and hangs down in stiff, flexible structures called plates. The baleen plates are composed of keratin, just like our hair and fingernails. Baleen grows throughout a whale’s lifetime. Baleen is also called whalebone. It is flexible and was used as a substitute before the invention of plastic. A baleen whale feeds by filling its mouth with water that is packed with fish and zooplankton. Then it closes its mouth
