A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

What is a baleen whale's diet?

Best Answers

Right whales eat zooplankton (animal plankton). Their finely fringed baleen is able to strain from the water copepods (a type of small crustacean) and other small zooplankton. Krill (a family of small, shrimplike crustaceans) and copepods are major components of a right whale's diet. read more

Throughout the traveling and breeding season, baleen whales eat much less or not at all. Blubber gained during the feeding season sustains the whale during the winter months. A baleen whale's thick blubber layer stores fat; it is an energy reserve that is necessary during the traveling and breeding seasons. read more

Most baleen whales use the baleen for straining food out of water; Gray whales use it to strain food out of sand/mud. The whale takes in a mouthful of water that contains its preferred food and then expels the water through the baleen plates which are fringed with ‘hairs’ that allow the water out while keeping the food in. read more

A whale's diet depends on the species of whale and the ecosystem in which it lives. Ironically, some of the largest whale species subsist on the tiniest of marine life. Many whales consume fish, while other whales are large-scale predators of seals and penguins. read more

Encyclopedia Research

Wikipedia:

Related Types

Image Answers

Further Research

What do baleen whales eat?
animals.howstuffworks.com

What Do Whales Eat
animalstime.com

What Do Whales Eat?
www.whalefacts.org

What Is a Whale's Diet?
sciencing.com