BALEEN PLATES- WHAT ARE THESE?
Baleen whales are a group of whales which have rows of baleen plates in their mouth instead of teeth. These plates are hanged downward on either side of the upper jaw and permit to filter the food, while whales feed.
During feeding, large volumes of water and food can be taken into the mouth because baleen whales have ventral pleats on the lower jaw that expand, during feeding time. As the mouth closes, water is forced through the baleen plates, which act as a sieve, trapping the food (krill and small fish) inside the mouth, and the trapped food goes to the gullet and hence to the stomach.
Baleen plates are oriented transversely, slightly curved and spaced about 1 cm apart so that filtered water exits the mouth. Plates are 3–8mm thick but other dimensions differ widely by species. The length of baleen plates also vary by species, it can be 0.5 to 3.5 m. Bowhead whales have the longest baleen plates with a maximum length of 4 metres!
Plates also vary in length along the upper jaw and it grows throughout life (1–10cm/year) as it are made of Keratin.
Humpback whales have a series of 270-400 baleen plates that are dark in colour and measure about 76 cm long.
Through the pictures, it is possible to see baleen plates of the humpback whale. These whales can fit a huge amount of water inside their mouths. An average sized Humpback whale (around 12-15 meters) can take in around 20,000 liters at one time, while feeding.
Skjálfandi Bay is recognised as a feeding area for humpbacks whales. Here, it is possible to observe these feeding techniques of these majestic animals!
-Diana
