| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,794,257,625 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
baleen whale |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia | 0.02 sec. |
baleen whaleAny of about 13 species of cetaceans in the suborder Mysticeti. They are distinguished by a specialized feeding structure, the baleen, which strains plankton and small crustaceans from the water. It consists of two horny plates attached to the roof of the mouth. Each plate (as long as 12 ft, or 3.6 m, in the right whale) is composed of parallel slats with fringes that mat together to form a sieve. Other baleen whales are the blue, fin, gray, humpback, and sei whales and the rorqual. Baleen was once used for corset stays and is still used in some industrial brushes. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
|---|---|---|
Unlike toothed whales, baleen whales eat organisms that may be too low on the food chain to accumulate much mercury. They are divided into two major categories: baleen whales that are filter feeders, and toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises. As captain, you know that it is unsafe and probably unlawful to allow your passengers to become inebriated, but what can good skippers do to discourage their friends and family from drinking like baleen whales while aboard their boats? |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|