As a paleontologist, Dr. Brand seeks to understand and explain what life was like during previous geologic periods. Not only is he interested in how organisms lived and interacted during a particular geologic period, but he also forms hypotheses about how various organisms died. These tiny creatures, known collectively as plankton together with dinoflagellates, are part of the food source for whales. In modern times, diatomite normally accumulates on the sea bottom at a rate of a few centimeters per thousand years. Baleen refers to the filtering teeth-like structures in the whale's mouth.
Whales feed by gulping in water and forcing it out through the baleen, trapping the tiny plankton.
Baleen is actually more akin to the human fingernail or toenail in its structure. Recently, it was discovered that several hundred sea lions off the coast of California were killed by toxins produced by diatoms. Other studies of these tiny organisms have found that increased levels of iron in the water greatly increase the rate of reproduction. Falling to the bottom, he postulates, the whales were soon covered by the skeletal remains of the diatom bloom before decay and scavengers could damage and scatter the bones. Interestingly, sharks did leave their mark on the fossil whale remains studied in detail by the team, evidenced by both teeth marks on the bones and actual teeth left behind.