WHALEBONE WHALES 



WHALEBONE WHALES 



It is popularly believed that all whales possess 

 whalebone, technically known as " Baleen." This 

 is by no means so. 



The Whalebone Whale is destitute of teeth, but 

 in place of these, its mouth is furnished with two 

 rows of dark, horny plates of baleen or whalebone. 

 These plates are attached to the palate, and hang 

 downwards when the Whale opens its mouth. The 

 Whalebone Whale or Right Whale, as it is usually 

 known by, subsists on the various kinds of small 

 ocean creatures which congregate in vast shoals. 

 Swimming in the midst of a shoal of them it takes 

 an immense mouthful of water, the water drains 

 out between the frayed edges of the flat pieces of 

 baleen, which partly overlap one another, and the 

 living creatures which are retained lie on the great 

 tongue of the Whale and are swallowed at leisure. 

 The whalebone is simply a strainer which allows 

 the water to drain away, and at the same time 

 prevents the prey from escaping. The water is 

 forced out by the act of raising the tongue. The 

 food consists entirely of tiny shrimp-like molluscs 

 and crustaceans which occur in vast shoals on the 

 surface of the water. The number consumed daily 

 to satisfy the appetite of this immense creature 

 must be stupendous. 



In the Port Elizabeth Museum there is on ex- 

 hibition the entire skeleton of a Whalebone Whale 



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