![]() ![]() Of course, you're much more likely to get eaten or maimed as you try to make it past the sperm whale's sharp teeth, which are roughly as long as a large steak knife. Not only would the whale's stomach acid make quick work of you, but you'd experience a distinct lack of air on the inside. However, once you reached the first of the sperm whale's four stomachs, your journey would probably reach a quick end. īut what about toothed whales? Sperm whales eat whole squid and seals, so you could easily fit down their throats and into their bellies. These creatures are designed to eat small prey like sea plankton, and the opening in their throat is only about as large as a basketball, so you'd never make it that far. Baleen whale definition: any of an order (Mysticeta) of whales with toothless jaws, baleen in the mouth, and a. Despite their massive size, baleen whales - which include blue and finback whales - could never get you into their bellies thanks to their relatively small esophagus. The baleen is arranged like vertical blinds across the upper jawbone. Baleen plates can be compared to two fingernails glued together with cat whiskers between the two. #Baleen whale seriesBaleen consists of two hard plates sandwiching a series of very hard bristles. With their massive mouths, it certainly seems possible that a whale could swallow someone whole, so why is it so unlikely? Consider the whale's anatomy baleen whales, or whales without teeth, are some of the largest creatures on the planet. The baleen whales belong to the parvorder of carnivorous marine mammals which have the main characteristic of having beards instead of teeth. These whales use their baleen like a sieve to filter out the water and retain their prey. Even more telling, the wife of the ship's captain went on record saying that the entire whale story never actually happened and was likely just a hoax by a bored group of crew members. ![]() Further research reveals that not only was there no one by the name of James Bartley aboard the ship, but the vessel wasn't actually a whaler. The story originated in a letter reportedly written by one of Bartley's fellow crew members, who supposedly sailed with Bartley on the Star of the East. ![]() It's a great story - and the bleached out details make it seem more plausible - but if you dig into the tale a bit you'll discover it's simply not true. Not only was the sailor still alive, but he had a paler complexion thanks to exposure to stomach acid within the belly of the beast. A few days later, his crew managed to capture the whale and cut it open, freeing Bartley. Baleen is an adaptation for filter-feeding. Minke whales have about 230 to 360 on each side. Blue whales typically have 260 to 400 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw. But what about James Bartley? According to legend, Bartley was part of a whaling crew in the Falkland Islands during the 19th century when he was swallowed alive by a whale. In the rorqual family, baleen size ranges from the blue whale's 91 cm (3 ft.) baleen plates to the minke whale's 12 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in.) baleen plates. ![]()
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