KidZone Animals
Whales: Dinner

Baleen Whales

"Whales bubble net feeding"; used with permission under Public Domain

Baleen whales, such as the Gray whale, Blue whale, Humpback whale, and Right whale, do not have teeth. Instead, they have baleen plates. These whales feed by taking in large amounts of water and filtering out krill, small crustaceans, worms, plankton, and fish. They do this by scooping up water, sand, and food, then letting the water and sand out through the small gaps in the baleen plates, trapping the food inside.

• Gray whales eat bottom-dwelling organisms such as small crustaceans (like shrimp), mollusks, and worms.
• Blue whales can eat up to 8,000 pounds of krill a day.
• Humpback whales eat krill and smaller fish, particularly schooling fish. They use bubble nets to trap schools of fish and then lunge to the surface to catch them (see above image).
• Right whales eat zooplankton, crustaceans, and krill.

Toothed Whales

"Sperm whale surface feeding"; used with permission under C.C. 2.0

Like the name suggests, toothed whales have teeth! Examples include the Sperm whale, Orca, Beluga whale, and Narwhal.

• Sperm whales eat large fish, squid, giant squid, seals, and even... sharks. The average sperm whale consumes approximately 2,000 pounds of food each day.
• Orcas are apex predators, meaning they have no natural predators. They hunt in packs, much like a group of female lions or pack of wolves, and are efficient and effective hunters. Orcas eat a wide variety of prey, including fish, seals, and even Great White sharks.
• Beluga whales are smaller whales who eat shrimp, cod, and halibut.
• Narwhals typically eat shrimp, cod, and halibut, similar to Beluga whales. Even though they're quite large, they are not as hungry as sperm whales or orcas.