Whales may also be the most intelligent animals in the ocean. Some whales, such as the bottlenose dolphin, sperm whale and killer whale, have teeth for grabbing and holding their food. Other whales, such as the right whale and the blue whale, do not have teeth. These whales have rows of baleen in their mouths for catching food. Baleen has many bristles like a broom used to trap small animals in the whale's mouth.
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.