Facts about the animal kingdom

Do Whales Have Teeth?

 
Nick A. Romero
By Nick A. Romero, Biologist and environmental educator. December 9, 2024
Do Whales Have Teeth?

The ocean is home to a great diversity of plants and animal life. Among this variety, we find whales. Whales are widely known because of their impressive size but, actually, they have lots of amazing qualities and are more similar to humans than you might expect. Not only do whales nurse their babies, but they also take good care of their offspring until they are mature enough and are also capable of creating strong and complex social bonds.

Whales belong to the group of marine mammals, more specifically, cetaceans. The term whale includes different types of large cetaceans, which are categorized into two groups: toothed and barbed. From a taxonomic classification, the use of the therm whale is more restricted. It strictly corresponds to the Balaenidae family, which is divided into two genera, Balaena and Eubalaena.

In this AnimalWised article, we try to answer the question do whales have teeth? We will also discuss the different ways in which whales feed and hunt.

Contents
  1. Do whales have teeth or baleen?
  2. Why don't whales have teeth?
  3. Can some whales have teeth?
  4. Differences between baleen and toothed whales

Do whales have teeth or baleen?

As we mentioned before, the term cetacean includes a group of aquatic mammals that is divided into mysticetes and odontocetes.

Mysticetes are characterized by having an arched maxilla and by the fact they lack teeth. Instead, they have long, flattened, and stacked structures known as barbs on both the palate and upper jaw. The barbs are formed by keratin and their number varies depending on the species. Barbs work as a filtering system that captures the animals and algae on which they feed.

Odontocetes, on the other hand, have teeth. As we know, teeth are commonly used to bite, chew and process food.

There are different ways of classifying whales. Some consider that only the species that belong to the Balaenidae family can be considered whales, some even call them true whales. These species have one thing in common, they all have barbs. Below we list the species that belong to this group:

  • Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

  • Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis)

  • North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

  • North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica)

Since they lack teeth they feed through a different process called filtration. They ingest large amounts of water which contains the different species of animals and algae that constitute their diet. First, the liquid passes through the baleen, where it remains trapped for a while until they expel the water and swallow the food.

However, there are other cetaceans that have baleen and that don't belong to the same family. These species are also considered whales depending on the classification method that is being used. Below we list some examples of marine mammals below:

  • Balaenopteridae family: includes various species of fin whales, such as common rorqual (Balaenoptera physalus), blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

  • Eschrichtiidae family: there is currently only one species, the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus).

  • Neobalaenidae family: There is currently only one species, the pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata).

Don't miss out this article about the largest animals in the ocean.

Do Whales Have Teeth? - Do whales have teeth or baleen?

Why don't whales have teeth?

The evolution of species is undoubtedly a complex process that occurs over long periods of time. The ancestors of the whales were terrestrial mammals that transitioned to the sea about 53 million years ago. Those ancestors had teeth. In fact, it has been revealed that present-day bearded cetaceans have teeth when they are in the uterus, but ultimately lose them and develop the baleen. The embryonic presence of these dental structures evidences that ancient whales had teeth and some related species had both teeth and baleen.

Scientists estimate that millions of years ago, there was a change in the type of feeding of these large mammals. They evolved from consuming large prey for which they needed teeth, to consuming much smaller prey such as zooplankton and phytoplankton. There was no need to have dental structures anymore. Instead, they needed a filtration system that could facilitate the ingestion of small organisms in big quantities to feed their large bodies.

Keep reading this article to know more about all the different types of cetaceans.

Can some whales have teeth?

If we only consider the taxonomic classification, then whales do not have teeth. However, as we have mentioned, there are some other cetaceans that belong to the group of odontocetes that have teeth and are also commonly referred to as whales. More specifically, toothed whales. Below we list the two families that belong to this group of marine mammals:

  • Family Delphinidae: common killer whale (Orcinus orca). Technically speaking, killer whales are actually large dolphins.

  • Physeteridae family: This group includes the common sperm whale (Physeter microcephalus). It is the largest living toothed predator in the world.

Read this article to learn more about the different types of whales.

Do Whales Have Teeth? - Can some whales have teeth?

Differences between baleen and toothed whales

These are the main differences between the species named baleen whales and toothed whales respectively:

  • Baleen whales are larger than toothed whales. In fact, the largest living mammal in the world is the fin whale, also known as the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus).

  • Baleen whales are filter feeders, which means that they primarily feed on small fish and phytoplankton. On the other hand, toothed whales are usually active hunters, and feed on large fish and a variety of marine animals such as seals and squids.

  • In terms of socialization, baleen whales tend to group in fewer numbers in comparison to toothed species, which are known for their complex social communities.

  • Baleen whales have two nostrils or spiracles on their backs, while the toothed whales only have one.

Despite the fact that all baleen whales feed through a filter process, they use different techniques to obtain food. Fin whales are usually called swallowing whales, which means that swim on the surface while keeping their mouths open to capture food. Gray whales are called dredgers since they prefer to feed off the muddy bottoms. Ballenids whales are also known as combers because they ingest their food while they swim under the surface.

If you want to read similar articles to Do Whales Have Teeth?, we recommend you visit our Facts about the animal kingdom category.

References
  1. ABC Science (2021). When whales had teeth . Available at: https://www.abc.es/ciencia/abci-cuando-ballenas-tenian-dientes-202105280036_noticia.html#ancla_comentarios.
Bibliography
  • Greenpeace (2021). Do you want to know more about whales? Available at: https://www.greenpeace.org/colombia/quieres-saber-mas-sobre-las-ballenas/.
  • Reeves, R., Pitman, RL & Ford, JKB (2017). Orcinus orca . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T15421A50368125. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T15421A50368125.en.
  • Wilson, Don E .; Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. (2005). Family Balaenidae . Mammal Species of the World. Available at: https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=14300003.
  • Vass, G., De la Rosa, F. and Gendron, D. (2019). Marine mammals in Mexico . Available at: https://www.amc.edu.mx/revistaciencia/images/revista/70_3/PDF/09_70_3_1155_Ballenas_L.pdf.
Write a comment
Add an image
Click to attach a photo related to your comment
What did you think of this article?
1 of 3
Do Whales Have Teeth?