Baleen whales have no teeth unlike their closely related toothed friends killer and sperm whales. Baleen is hundreds of thin plates that consists of the same material as human fingernails. The baleen hangs from the whales upper jaw. Whales use these plates to strain out food from the water. The inside edges of the plates have brush like fibers that filter out food.
Baleen whales feed on plankton, drifting masses of tiny plants and animals.
There are ten kinds of baleen whales. Scientists have divided them into three groups. Click on the underlined text to see pictures and learn information each on kind of whale. Right Whales -have a thick, solid body and an unusually large head, which makes up a third of the total body length. They swim very slowly- about 3 miles an hour.