What is the difference between a Baleen Whale and a Toothed Whale? There are two types of whales, a Baleen Whale and Toothed Whale. Regardless of the whale category, all whales are either a Baleen or Toothed Whale. As you might expect, a Toothed Whale has teeth while a Baleen Whale does not have teeth. Instead of teeth, a Baleen Whale has a built in filtering system in the lower jaw area to help them filter food like a giant colander. As the Baleen Whales move through the water they open their mouth and talk in water and food. The water is removed and they are left with lots of food which they swallow without chewing.
Contrary to popular belief, a Toothed Whale does not have teeth in order to chew its food. It still swallows its food in large chunks. The purpose of the teeth is to tear into smaller pieces larger prey. This can be a distinct advantage over the Baleen Whale because the Baleen Whale is limited to eating food which is small enough to swallow. A Toothed Whale can take on larger prey and can also use its teeth as a defensive measure if necessary, although a Baleen Whale does have rows of plates in their jaws which can act as a defensive measure if there are any threats.
Toothed Whales also tend to be a little more aggressive than Baleen Whales. This is especially true during the mating season. The Toothed Whale during mating season will use their teeth to battle over the right to mate with different female whales. During this mating season, because of the aggression, Toothed Whales have been known to attack humans and boats although this is rare. Many people in the research community believe that perhaps these attacks are more out of curiosity than aggression.
There is also a significant size difference between the Baleen Whales and the Toothed Whales. Baleen Whales tend to be significantly larger than Toothed Whales. Also, because of the size, Baleen Whales have two blow holes while Tootled Whales only have one. As you might expect, the larger Baleen Whales are not a maneuverable and do not move as fast through the water as the Toothed Whale, which is primarily a water displacement issue but also a dorsal fin issue. Baleen Whales really do not have dorsal fins while Toothed Whale always has at least one. There are very few Baleen Whales which have a dorsal fin but if they the dorsal fin is very small.
The evolution of both the Baleen Whale and the Toothed Whale is also very interesting. There is significant evidence that both the Baleen Whale and the Toothed Whale used to dwell on land! Over time, they were forced to evolve and move out to sea because of the destruction of their natural habitat. Both of these whales have an amazing ability to survive not only in warmer waters but also in very cold waters. Because of whaling, both the Baleen Whale and the Toothed Whale in a wide variety of categories have been threatened with extinction. The Baleen Whale has often been the target of more whaling because they are easier prey and less of a threat. Because of conservation efforts, some of these whale populations are starting to stabilize. The best way to support conservation efforts are to donate your time or money to a conservation group and support whale education though activities such as whale watching.
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