Humpbacks have 270 to 400 darkly coloured baleen plates on each side of their mouths.

Minke whales have between 240 and 360 baleen plates on each side of their mouths.

Right whales have between 200 and 300 baleen plates on each side of their mouths.

The whale then expels the water, using its baleen plates to retain the prey.

Like other rorquals, it has no teeth, but has two rows of baleen plates.

An adult has between 262 and 473 baleen plates on each side of the mouth.

The water is then squeezed out through the baleen plates by pressure from the ventral pouch and tongue.

A whale's baleen plates play the most important role in its filter-feeding process.

Instead they stripped off the layers of blubber and cut out the baleen plates.

The herring are trapped against the sieve of baleen plates.