Do you think you know the answer to the ‘What is IT! Photo challenge # 4
It was harder than the last challenge but several people got it correct!
Here’s a reminder of the pictures.
Here is a reminder of the Photo contest # 4 picture. Do you know what it is?
Can you pick the winner from this list of guesses?
- Corn husk (most popular answer)
- Baleen
- Whale tongue
- Kelp
- Seaweed
And the answer is…
If you selected Baleen – you are correct!
Let’s dig deeper…
Whales are divided into two main groups:
- Odontoceti – or Toothed whales
- Mysticeti – or Baleen whales
As you may have guessed, whales in the first group have teeth but baleen whales have special plates made of keratin which hang from the whale’s upper jaw. Human hair and fingernails are also made of keratin.
Open wide! This is a humpback whale with its mouth open - showing off its baleen. Photo courtesy of http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/transformations/sanctuaries/image3.html
Close up of baleen.
These plates act as a filter feeding system. When a baleen whale opens its mouth the ocean water pours in. The whale then forces the water back out of its mouth but the small animals that were in the mouthful of water – like krill, small fish and plankton are filtered (or trapped) in the whale’s mouth by the baleen. Pretty neat filtering system wouldn’t you say!
The Winner is…
The winner of this challenge was randomly selected… Drum roll please…..
Congratulation goes to Sparks 4th graders at St. Ann school Bartlett, TN!
Fantastic Job – Keep up the good work