Toothed vs Baleen Whales: What's The Difference
- bioworld090
- Jan 1, 2023
- 2 min read
SYSTEMATIC NAME:
Baleen whales → Mysticeti
Toothed Whales → Odontoceti
MOUTH:
Image Credit: andy nunn
Baleen whales do not have any teeth in their mouth. Instead, they have something called baleen plates or whalebone. The name whalebone is misleading as the baleen plates are made of a protein called keratin and not bone. The number of baleen plates can be as many as 350.
Image Credit: James St. John
Toothed whales, as obvious from the name, have teeth in their mouth. The number of teeth varies from species to species.
SIZE:
Baleen whales are some of the largest animals on the planet. The blue whale (the largest animal ever), Fin whale (the second largest animal), and Humpback whale are some examples of baleen whales.
Toothed whales are smaller in size when compared to baleen whales. The exception is the sperm whale.
FEEDING BEHAVIOUR:
Baleen whales are filter feeders. They feed with the help of baleen plates. These whales take water in their mouth along with krill and plankton and then release the water from their mouth. The krill and plankton are left behind in the mouth because of the baleen plates.
Toothed whales are active predators. They, unlike the baleen whales, actively hunt their prey.
BLOWHOLE:
Baleen whales have two blowholes.
Image Credit: seabamirum
Toothed whales have only one blowhole.
SKULL SYMMETRY:
Baleen whales have symmetrical skulls.
Toothed whales have asymmetrical skulls.
OLFACTION (SENSE OF SMELL):
According to a study conducted on bowhead whales (a type of baleen whale), it is observed that these whales contain olfactory organs and 51% of olfactory receptor genes. This suggests that they might have a sense of smell.
Baleen whales lack these olfactory organs and also the presence of olfactory receptor genes is just 25%.
REFERENCES:
Comments