Having a "WHALEY" good time!

We learned on Wednesday that there are two types of whales; toothed whales and baleen whales.  We understand what it is like to have teeth, but what would it be like to have baleen?  How would we eat our food? Today, we learned just that!

When a Baleen Whale eats, it will open it's mouth, swims forward, and scoops up water and krill.  Then, it will use it's tongue to push out the water.  The water will slip through the baleen, but the krill will not slip through.  Baleen is like hair, but much thicker like our finger nails.

To start off our experiment, we filled a small container with water.  Then, we sprinkled in dried Basil flakes.  We each took a turn moving a comb forward through the water.  The water passed through the comb, but the basil was caught. This is just like what happens to the krill when a baleen whale eats. 

Some Baleen Whales are:

Blue Whale

Gray Whale

Humpback Whale