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Baleen for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: bə'lin

What does Baleen really mean?

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Hey there! So, "baleen" is actually a pretty cool word. It's basically the name for a special kind of material that some animals have in their mouths. Most commonly, you can find baleen in the mouths of certain types of whales. It's kind of like a filter, you know? Picture a big comb made out of a flexible, tough, and fuzzy material. When the whale goes for a swim and scoops up a bunch of water and tiny sea creatures, the baleen acts as a strainer. It lets the water out but keeps the yummy little critters inside for the whale to snack on.

Baleen is made of the same stuff as our fingernails and hair, so it's really strong and kind of bendy. It's also a bit like a natural toothbrush, because the whales sometimes use it to clean out any gunk that gets caught in their mouths. Some people also used to use baleen to make things like corsets, fans, and other fancy items in the olden days. Pretty neat, huh? So yeah, that's what "baleen" means—a filtering material found in the mouths of certain animals, especially whales. Cool, right?

Revised and Fact checked by Stephanie Wilson on 2023-11-15 23:08:30

Baleen In a sentece

Learn how to use Baleen inside a sentece

  • The blue whale has baleen in its mouth, which it uses to filter small animals from the water for food.
  • Baleen is made of keratin, the same material that makes up human hair and nails.
  • Some whales have hundreds of plates of baleen in their mouths to help them eat.
  • When swimming, baleen whales open their mouths and take in large amounts of water, then close their mouths and push the water out through the baleen, leaving the small animals behind to eat.
  • Baleen is a unique adaptation that allows whales to feed on tiny organisms in the ocean without needing teeth.

Baleen Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Baleen Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.