Humpback whales do not possess teeth. Instead, their mouths are equipped with specialized structures that allow them to consume vast quantities of small prey from the water.
The Truth About Humpback Whale Mouths
Humpback whales feature baleen plates instead of teeth. These plates are made of keratin, the same protein found in human fingernails and hair. Hundreds of long, fringed plates hang from the upper jaw, arranged in two separate combs. The inner edge of each plate is frayed into fine, hair-like bristles, forming a sieve-like structure. This allows them to effectively filter small organisms from large volumes of seawater; they typically have between 270 and 400 black baleen plates, each approximately 30 inches (76 cm) long.
How Humpback Whales Eat
Humpback whales employ efficient feeding strategies using their baleen. They are known for “lunge feeding,” where they engulf massive amounts of water and prey, such as krill and small schooling fish. Their throat grooves expand significantly to accommodate the enormous volume. After taking in water and prey, the whale uses its large tongue to push the water out through the baleen plates, trapping the food inside.
Another cooperative feeding method is “bubble-net feeding.” A group of whales works together, blowing bubbles in a circular pattern to create a “net” that corrals fish or krill into a dense ball. The whales then lunge upward through the concentrated prey with their mouths open. An adult humpback whale can consume up to one tonne (approximately 2,200 pounds) of food daily.
Baleen Whales and Toothed Whales
Humpback whales belong to the suborder Mysticeti, commonly known as baleen whales. This group comprises approximately 14 species, including blue, fin, right, and gray whales. All baleen whales share the characteristic of having baleen plates for filter feeding.
In contrast, the suborder Odontoceti, or toothed whales, includes species like dolphins, porpoises, orcas, and sperm whales. Toothed whales possess teeth for grasping and consuming larger, individual prey such as fish, squid, and other marine mammals. While modern baleen whales lack teeth, their ancestors did possess them. Developing embryos of baleen whales still form tooth buds that are later reabsorbed, providing an evolutionary link to their toothed past. The evolution of baleen allowed these whales to efficiently exploit abundant, small prey, contributing to their immense size.