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 Description:
In this experiment you will use a comb and tweezers to demonstrate
how baleen whales and toothed whales eat.
Toothed whales and
dolphins use
their teeth to catch their prey. Their teeth aren't used for
chewing —these whales swallow their food whole. Examples
of toothed whales include killer whales, beluga whales, and all
dolphins and porpoises.
Baleen
whales don't
have teeth, instead they have baleen plates along the edges
of their upper jaws. The outer edges of the baleen is frayed,
and forms a stringy mat which catches food from the water when
the whales swim with their mouths open. Examples of baleen
whales include right whales, gray whales, and rorqual whales.
What You'll Need:
A cake pan (8.5 x 11)with a few inches of
water in it.
Poker chips or any hard plastic objects that won't dissolve or
get soft in water (these represent the fish).
Parsley (this represents krill or other microorganisms floating
in the water).
Comb (this is used to demonstrate how baleen whales eat).
Tweezers (this is used to demonstrate how toothed whales eat).
What to Do:
1. Fill the cake pan with a few inches of water.
2. Place the poker chips and the parsley in the water
3. Take the comb and run it through the water to try to pick
up the two types of food in the water.
4. Take the tweezers and use it to pick up the two types of food
in the water.
Discussion:
1. Was the comb or the tweezers better at picking up parsley?
2. Was the comb or the tweezers better at picking up the fish?
3. What have you learned about the ways that baleen
whales and toothed whales catch their food?
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