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If
you think a hamster can fit a lot in its mouth think again! 'Rorqual
whales'
(such as Minke whales and Blue whales) have folds of skin or 'throat
groves'
which expand when they lunge feed (- this is when they takes large
gulps
of water to catch food.) Once the whale has it's mouth full of
prey and
water
and it's throat pleats are balooned out, it uses it's giant tongue
to force
water
back out of it's mouth. The water is forced past the whales specially
designed
baleen plates. These act like a seive to catch the prey inside
the
whales
mouth. A Blue whale can eat 4 tonnes of Krill (small shrimp-like
creatures)
every day when feeding conditions are good. It has up to 68 pleats
in
its throat
allowing it's mouth to expand to giant proportions!
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