My OperaPhysical descriptions (cont.)
Thursday, November 26, 2009 5:32:13 PM
As a kind of baleen whales, blue whales have stiff baleen plates growing down from the gums of the upper jaw. These plates which are made of a strong, yet elastic material - keratin (a protein composed in hair and fingernails) are soft and short at birth but stiffen as soon as the thickening of skin on the upper jaw during the whale’s growth. Throughout their lifetime, blue whales own a baleen of around 300 plates (each 1m long) which functions as a strainer when each plate intertwines during the whale’s feeding to capture food. Together with the baleen, another important part in the blue whale’s mouth where 100 people can fit into is the tongue. When feeding, blue whales take in a huge gulp of water which will be filtered out by pushing their elephant-heavy tongue forward and contracting their throat.
