Whales are divided into two suborders, the baleen and toothed. The baleen whale comes from the suborder mysticeti. More than 300 plates of baleen hang on each side of the mouth. Each plate can be as long as 12 feet and more than a foot wide, as in the Blue whale. Water is pushed out on the sides of the mouth and pushed through the sieve-like screen of baleen.
Food is caught on the bristly fringes.
Baleen whales also differ from tooth whales with the fact they have two blowholes instead of one. The toothed whales comes from the suborder Odontoceti. The suborder has teeth in either the top or bottom jaw or in both. The teeth are simple and cone-like. They are used not for chewing, but for catching and holding prey.