Hobbies And Interests
Mouths
The major difference between baleen and toothed whales is their mouths. Stiff keratin plates hang down from the gums of baleen whales' upper jaws.These plates, called baleen, are composed of the same material that makes hair and fingernails. Many baleen whales' mouths open much wider than other living creatures. Toothed whales' mouths are different in that they grow many small, sharp teeth adapted for catching and holding onto prey. Generally, these whales' jaws are much more streamlined than baleen whales. Toothed whales don't chew but tear, shred and swallow prey.
Eating Habits
Though baleen whales have large jaws, they eat tiny prey. They fill their huge mouths with sea water, and push the water out of their mouths through their baleen plates. The water flows out but tiny sea creatures like krill, plankton and small fish remain and are swallowed. In contrast, toothed whales are fearsome hunters and eat large prey. Killer whales, common toothed whales, are considered the most formidable predator in the ocean. These whales hunt prey in groups called pods and have been known to eat baleen whales. The throat of a killer whale is large enough to swallow seals whole.
Bodies
Baleen whales are generally much larger than toothed whales. One baleen whale, the blue whale, reaches length up to 90 feet long. The largest toothed whale is the sperm whale which reaches lengths of about 40 feet. Another marked difference between these whales is their nostrils, also known as blow holes. Baleen whales have two blow holes on top of their heads; toothed whales only have one. Many baleen whales have throat grooves. These are folds of skin and blubber that expanded while they eat. Toothed whales do not have throat grooves.
Social Systems
Toothed whales have much more strongly structured communities than baleen whales. Baleen whales develop much faster than toothed whales and spend shorter periods of time with their mothers. Aside from groupings of mothers and calves, baleen whales only come together in loosely attached groups for short periods of times each year. Toothed whales often live in tightly knit family pods year-round. Young toothed whales are often dependent on family for many years. Killer whales make vocalizations to communicate and pods even have specific dialects. Much cooperative behavior has been observed within killer whale pods, including food sharing.