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Description
From Wikipedia: Baleen (also called whalebone) is a substance made of keratin and is therefore stiff but somewhat elastic. Whalebone is a modification of the epidermis. A bony mineral, hydroxyapatite, is also present in baleen in small amounts, along with traces of manganese, copper, boron, iron, and calcium.

Baleen makes up baleen plates, which are arranged in two parallel rows that look like combs of thick hair; they are attached to the upper jaws of baleen whales. Whales use these combs for filter feeding. Whales are the only vertebrate group to use this method of feeding in great abundance (flamingos and crabeater seals use similar methods, but do not have baleen), and it has allowed them to grow to immense sizes. The Blue Whale, the largest animal ever to live, is a baleen whale.

Depending on the species of whale, a baleen plate can be 0.5 to 3.5 metres (2 to 12 feet) long, and weigh up to 200 pounds (90 kg). Its hairy fringes are called baleen hair or whalebone-hair. Baleen plates are broader at the gumline (base). The plates have been compared to sieves or Venetian blinds.

The word "Baleen" derives from Early Modern English word meaning "whale". It derives from the Latin balaena and is related to the Greek phallaina, both of which also mean "whale".

Apopysis

Description
From Wikipedia: Baleen (also called whalebone) is a substance made of keratin and is therefore stiff but somewhat elastic. Whalebone is a modification of the epidermis. A bony mineral, hydroxyapatite, is also present in baleen in small amounts, along with traces of manganese, copper, boron, iron, and calcium.

Baleen makes up baleen plates, which are arranged in two parallel rows that look like combs of thick hair; they are attached to the upper jaws of baleen whales. Whales use these combs for filter feeding. Whales are the only vertebrate group to use this method of feeding in great abundance (flamingos and crabeater seals use similar methods, but do not have baleen), and it has allowed them to grow to immense sizes. The Blue Whale, the largest animal ever to live, is a baleen whale.

Depending on the species of whale, a baleen plate can be 0.5 to 3.5 metres (2 to 12 feet) long, and weigh up to 200 pounds (90 kg). Its hairy fringes are called baleen hair or whalebone-hair. Baleen plates are broader at the gumline (base). The plates have been compared to sieves or Venetian blinds.

The word "Baleen" derives from Early Modern English word meaning "whale". It derives from the Latin balaena and is related to the Greek phallaina, both of which also mean "whale".

Apopysis