What is unique about baleen whales?

What is unique about baleen whales?

These bristly baleen plates filter, sift, sieve or trap the whales’ favourite prey from seawater inside their mouths. Baleen is made out of keratin, the same protein that makes up our fingernails and hair. The number, size and colour of the baleen plates are unique for each whale species.

What are whales with baleen called?

Baleen whales (systematic name Mysticeti), also known as whalebone whales, are a parvorder of carnivorous marine mammals of the infraorder Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises) which use keratinaceous baleen plates (or “whalebone”) in their mouths to sieve planktonic creatures from the water.

Do baleen whales have eyes?

The retina of a baleen whale’s eyes contains mostly “rod cells”, which are sensitive to low intensity light. “Cone cells”, which distinguish between different colors and are most sensitive to bright light, are less abundant. The tapetum lucidum is a reflective layer behind the retina.

How long do baleen whales live?

Longevity for most baleen whales is unknown. Some researchers have estimated that blue whales may live 30 to 90 years, fin whales may live 90 to 100 years, and sei whales may live as long as 60 years.

What do baleen whales eat?

krill
Baleen whales feed by filtering or straining food from the water. They love to eat krill, fish, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and algae. Some, such as the right whale, are called “skimmers”. These whales swim slowly with their huge mouths open to take in large amounts of water and food.

How does baleen work in a whale?

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 animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and remain as a food source for the whale.

How do whales see at night?

The combination of these allows us to see one million hues and colors during the day. We only have one type of rod, though, which is why we can only see in black and white at night. “Whales only have one cone, which is sensitive to green light, so they see in black and white in light and dark,” Fasick said.

Do baleen whales have external ears?

Because water is five times more dense than air, there is a “acoustic impedance mismatch” between the two media, so an air-filled human ear is nearly useless underwater. To accomodate for this mismatch, baleen whales have a wax plug filling their external ears. Instead, they have ear holes located right behind the eye.

How many baleen Do whales have?

baleen plates. Blue whales typically have 260 to 400 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw. Minke whales have about 230 to 360 on each side. Baleen is an adaptation for filter-feeding.

What does baleen whale eat?

Baleen whales feed by filtering or straining food from the water. They love to eat krill, fish, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and algae. Some, such as the right whale, are called “skimmers”. These whales swim slowly with their huge mouths open to take in large amounts of water and food.

What is the lifespan of a baleen whale?

The humpback whale has an average lifespan of 40 – 100 years. The Minke whale has an average lifespan of 30 – 50 years. The Narwhal whale has an average lifespan of 40 – 60 years. The Sperm whale has an average lifespan of 60 – 80 years.

How do baleen whales capture their food?

In fact many species of baleen whale hunt for food using a method known as filter feeding. These whales capture their food by swimming towards their prey with their mouth open and use their baleen bristles to filter large amounts of fish, krill , shrimp, octopus, various crustaceans and other sea sediments from the water.

What are baleen whales eaten by?

While toothed whales are predators that hunt for squid, seals, sea lions and, sometimes, other whales, baleen whales engage in filter feeding, which is a method of consuming many small pieces of prey at once. These whales might eat krill, which are tiny crustacean-like organisms, schools of small fish or plankton.

Do whales have baby teeth?

In fact, in some species, the enamel layer never even develops due to lack of necessity. These species include the Narwhal, Sperm Whale and Pigmy Sperm Whale. Whales do not shed their first set of teeth (or “baby teeth”) to replace it with permanent teeth. Rather, they have only one set of teeth for their entire life.