The Marine
Friends Project :: Life
in the Ocean ::
 HOW
DO WHALES EAT?
What you would eat if you lived in the ocean? If you said fish
and squid, you’d be right.
But there’s a second correct answer - some whales eat ocean
creatures that are so small they are hard for us to see, called
plankton.
Now think about how the whales eat the fish and squid. That’s
easy - pretty much the way you eat your dinner, by using your teeth.
But what about catching and eating the tiny creatures? Teeth are
not much help. And yet, these huge creatures thrive on this diet.
They have figured out a different way to eat.
These whales are known as "baleen whales." Look closely.
They don’t have teeth. Instead, they have baleen plates hanging
from their upper jaw. Baleen is made of a substance similar to your
fingernails with a row of fringe along one side.
Baleen whales swim through the water with their mouth open, taking
in large volumes of water that contain the tiny ocean creatures.
The fringed baleen then acts as a sieve - the whales squeeze the
water out through the baleen, leaving their food caught on the baleen.
Their tongue then wipes the baleen clean and the whale swallows
its food.
In the northeast U.S., the common toothed whales are pilot whales
and dolphins. Common baleen whales are humpbacks, minkes, and right
whales.
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