Measurements of baleen material properties are consistent with this prediction and raise the possibility that whales use alternative mechanisms to stiffen their baleen (Szewciw et al., 2010). One strategy for stiffening baleen bristles is calcification, with the sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) ...
Conversely, toothed whales are more minor than baleen whales and, as their name implies, have teeth rather than baleen. One of the more well-known toothed whales in the Galapagos is the orca, also known as the killer whale. It can be identified by its huge dorsal fin, which can reach s...
WHALE, a name applied rather loosely to various animals of the order Getacea, the general characters and classification of which have been described in the article MAMMALIA (vol. xv. p. 391). All the members of the sub-order Mystacoceti, or Cetacea with whalebone, are called " whales." ...
greater age to the Right Whale than at first glance will seem reasonable. In old times, there seem to have prevailed the most curious fancies concerning these blinds. One voyager in Purchas calls them the wondrous "whiskers" inside of the whale's mouth;* another, "hogs' b...
Baleen whales seek out concentrations of smallplanktonicanimals. The whales then open their mouth and take in enormous quantities of water. When the mouth is closed, they squeeze the water out through the sides, catching the tiny prey on the baleen’s bristles. (See alsocetacean: Feeding adapta...