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  1. 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 animals such …

  2. 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 fatty blubber, which …

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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 organisms from …

  6. 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.

  7. Baleen whale | Filter-feeding, Migration, Conservation | Britannica

    Baleen whale, (suborder Mysticeti), any cetacean possessing unique epidermal modifications of the mouth called baleen, which is used to filter food from water. Baleen whales seek out concentrations …

  8. 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 structure while trapping …

  9. 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 consists of …

  10. 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 see in the …