| Odontocetes vs. Mysticetes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Odontocetes are toothed whales. Mysticetes are baleen whales. The Orca whale is one of the many kinds of specias of Odontocetes. It uses its teeth to catch its prey, not to chew it. They have to have alot of energy to catch their food. A baleen whale, Mysticete, eats much differently. A Mysticete has baleen. Baleen is a stringy substance made of the material that fingernails are made of. It hangs down in slats from the upper parts of the mouth. A baleen whale eats a tiny shrimplike creature callled krill. It gulps in water and pushes it out through its baleen. The baleen works like a strainer. When the whale pushes the water out and the baleen filters it. The krill gets stuck in the baleen and it is a very yummy meal for a mysticete whale. There are many different types of whales. There are more odontocetes than there are mysticetes. Thinking about whales, I would rather be a mysticete because it is easier to eat. What kind of whale would you want to be? |  |
