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	Whales and Food
Plankton are some of the smallest animals on earth. The largest of them are called krill. Krill might grow to be 2 inches long (6 centimeters). But most plankton are so small you need a microscope to be able to see them.	Baleen whales filter their food. All these whales have a baleen in their mouth that hangs down like a comb. The pieces of the baleen overlap a little, and have fringe along one side. The baleen is made with the same protein that human hair and nails are made of, keratin. When the animal opens its mouth to feed, water and plankton are sucked into their mouth. The throat of the whale contracts, pushing the tongue up. The water leaves the mouth through the baleen, but the plankton is caught on the fringed edges of the baleen and the whale swallows it. Sometimes they caught small fish, but mostly they catch plankton. Blue whales, the largest animals on earth, survive by eating some of the smallest animals on earth, plankton. A Blue whale may be 100 million times larger than the food it eats. They can eat more that 9,000 pounds (4,100 kilograms) of food a day. . Toothed whales have teeth and are much smaller that the baleen whales. These groups of whales are good hunters. Some of them hunt in groups, the same way lions or wolves do. They eat big animals one at the time. Toothed whales don’t chew their food, swallowing the food whole. Toothed whales use echolocation to hunt. Light does not travel well under the water, but sound does. This is the reason the toothed whales use the sound to locate its prey. They send out a sound. When the sound hits an object, it bounces back toward the whale. They know how far that object is by how long it takes the sound to bounce back. Using echolocation helps these whales to find food and to avoid dangerous places.

Whales and Food

Plankton are some of the smallest animals on earth.

The largest of them are called krill.

Krill might grow to be 2 inches long (6 centimeters).

But most plankton are so small you need a microscope to be able to see them.

Baleen whales filter their food. All these whales have a baleen in their mouth that hangs down like a comb. The pieces of the baleen overlap a little, and have fringe along one side. The baleen is made with the same protein that human hair and nails are made of, keratin. When the animal opens its mouth to feed, water and plankton are sucked into their mouth. The throat of the whale contracts, pushing the tongue up. The water leaves the mouth through the baleen, but the plankton is caught on the fringed edges of the baleen and the whale swallows it. Sometimes they caught small fish, but mostly they catch plankton.

Blue whales, the largest animals on earth,

survive by eating some of the smallest animals on earth, plankton.

A Blue whale may be 100 million times larger than the food it eats.

They can eat more that 9,000 pounds (4,100 kilograms) of food a day.

Toothed whales have teeth and are much smaller that the baleen whales.

These groups of whales are good hunters. Some of them hunt in groups, the same way lions or wolves do.
They eat big animals one at the time. Toothed whales don’t chew their food, swallowing the food whole.

Toothed whales use echolocation to hunt. Light does not travel well under the water, but sound does. This is the reason the toothed whales use the sound to locate its prey. They send out a sound. When the sound hits an object, it bounces back toward the whale. They know how far that object is by how long it takes the sound to bounce back. Using echolocation helps these whales to find food and to avoid dangerous places.