
Baleen - Wikipedia
Baleen is a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleen whales. To use baleen, the whale first opens its mouth underwater to take in water. The whale then pushes the water out, and …
What is baleen? - Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA
Baleen is made out of keratin, the same protein that makes up human fingernails and hair. It is found in the jaws of large whales and used to sieve prey.
Baleen: From Whales to People | Smithsonian Ocean
Baleen is the series of fringed plates hanging in right whales' mouths that are used to strain seawater for food. Until the early 1900's, right whales were heavily hunted primarily for their …
Baleen Whale - Types, Size, Diet, Teeth (Plates), and Evolution
May 29, 2025 · Baleen whales, also called whalebone whales, are a group of marine mammals distinguished by numerous keratinized plates called baleen hanging from their upper jaw.
What Is Whale Baleen and How Does It Work? - Biology Insights
Jul 20, 2025 · Some of the ocean’s largest animals use a feeding system called baleen to consume vast quantities of tiny prey. This structure allows certain whale species to filter small …
Baleen whale | Filter-feeding, Migration, Conservation | Britannica
The blue whale has baleen, or whalebone, in place of teeth. These narrow vertical plates, which hang inside the mouth cavity, are fringed on the inner edges to trap the shrimplike krill …
Baleen whale - New World Encyclopedia
The baleen whales (Mysticeti) are characterized by baleen, a sieve-like structure in the upper jaw made of the tough, structural protein keratin. The baleen is used to filter plankton from the water.
Baleen Whales – Discover-Nature
Oct 25, 2024 · When they open their mouths, a membrane made of keratin, called baleen, stretches from the upper to the lower jaw. This allows water to flow through its porous …
Baleen Whales | Center for Coastal Studies
Mysticetes, or baleen whales, share at least one thing in common: instead of functional teeth, all have baleen (sometimes referred to as “whalebone”) inside the mouth. Each plate of baleen …
Baleen: A Unique Structure in the Animal Kingdom
Feb 15, 2021 · Obviously, teeth are similar to human teeth, but baleen is a very unique structure. It is made of keratin, which is the same thing your hair and fingernails are made of. As you can …