A Whale’s Tale: The Story Hidden in Their Mouths
Published:23 Mar.2022 Source:University of New South Wales
Scientists from UNSW Sydney have uncovered the secrets locked in the jawlines of humpback and southern right whales. Baleen plates -- the signature bristle-like apparatus toothless whales use to feed -- reveal how these large aquatic mammals adapt to environmental changes over time.
Baleen from filter-feeding whales -- that is, the bristle-like structures toothless whales like the humpback and southern rights rely on to feed -- holds a chemical record of their feeding patterns, which can help researchers understand changes in the whales' movements and behaviours over time.