Baleen whales eat mostly shrimp-like animals called krill, copepods. and small fish. Toothed whales catch larger prey including fish, squid and octopus. Killer whales even eat other large mammals such as seals and sea lions. These gentle giants were nearly hunted to extinction for meat and oil. The bones, too, were prized for carving decorative items, and the baleen was used for garment stays.
Baleen whales are the largest whales but they eat tiny food animals.
Krill, related to shrimp, are smaller than your little finger and copepods are only the size of a grain of rice. Whales swim into a school of krill or small fish with their mouths open. They take in hundreds of gallons of water, close their mouths and squirt the water through the baleen. The baleen traps the krill and other small animals and the whale swallows them. A single whale can eat several tons of krill a day.