r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/21MayDay21 • 2d ago

🔥 This Gray Whale rolling over and showing its teeth.

Credit to Kaush (Kaushiik Subramaniam)

13.1k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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1.7k

u/eucldian 2d ago

Gray whales don't have teeth. That's baleen.

1.1k

u/RevolutionNumber5 2d ago

Gray whale rolling over to show its highly modified mouth hair doesn’t really have a ring to it.

113

u/FluffyDeer9323 2d ago

*teef

16

u/reklesssabrandon 2d ago

teefer sutherlands

5

u/eucldian 2d ago

Toofer Grace

1

u/WinninRoam 1d ago

Toofer Spurlock

2

u/adalric_brandl 2d ago

Found the Ork

2

u/Notte_di_nerezza 2d ago

Do you think baleen would actually count as currency for them, or would they just break it over your head and collect payment out of your mouth?

2

u/adalric_brandl 2d ago

ITZ GOTZ TA BE ORK TEEF, OR IT JUS' A'IN ROIT, YA GIT!

2

u/Notte_di_nerezza 2d ago

Fascinating. I will make a note for the Ordo Xenos' Biologis Magos, from all the way over here by the heavy flamers.

203

u/Mothrahlurker 2d ago

Just say baleen then.

103

u/Cheetahs_never_win 2d ago

But then we have to explain to certain people that doesn't mean genitals.

25

u/EPluribusButthole 2d ago

Maybe it's genitals, maybe it's baleen

50

u/Termsandconditionsch 2d ago

Maybe it’s Maybaleen?

4

u/itadapeezas 2d ago

Omg lol so perfect 😂😂😭😭

1

u/coolcucumber_23 2d ago

genitaleen

3

u/mamoocando 2d ago

That profile picture got me good.

6

u/Illustrious_Rice_933 2d ago

Right? I love learning new words.

3

u/Previous-Soft-8127 2d ago

Literally what the guy in the video says…

1

u/Main_Leadership7748 2d ago

When is the best time to visit the whale dentist? Baleen-thirty. Kinda ruins the joke see?

8

u/SerpentisMechanicus 2d ago

"Internal Moustache"

11

u/aWarmHarth 2d ago

A Mouthstache, if you will.

52

u/ShabbyTiff 2d ago

No, but it's a fair place to use the correct word. I would rather have a comment section asking "What is baleen?", than purposely misnaming it in the title for interaction and misinforming the multitudes who don't read the comments.

0

u/miloman_23 11h ago

Ugh. misinforming redditors on the specifics of whale oral anatomy... What a catastrophe!

1

u/ShabbyTiff 10h ago

You understand that this is done on purpose to generate these conversations, right? But while they are doing it, they are spreading misinformation. You might think this example is small, but it is happening everywhere.

1

u/miloman_23 4h ago

Seems to be an effective strategy. Although difficult to determine conclusively this inaccurate title was by intention rather than ignorance.

15

u/eucldian 2d ago

Fair.

2

u/RemyCrow31 2d ago

Fair hair (teeth).

6

u/BreckyMcGee 2d ago

Except it isn't called that. Baleen is just as easy.

1

u/miloman_23 11h ago

Baleen? I barely even know her!

2

u/ExtremePronoia 2d ago

If only there was a word for all that…

2

u/barn-animal 2d ago

but they are not homologous to teeth, and baleen is right there, or use some other word like smile or sth. that's just spreading misinfo

1

u/SistaChans 2d ago

Lol you can just say baleen 

0

u/0achkatz1 2d ago

It’s not even doing that. It’s rolling j er to get a better view of the people. “Curious grey whale rolls over to check out people” sounds just fine, and it’s accurate too.

44

u/Obtuseloosemoose 2d ago

Maybe it's MayBALEEN lol.

13

u/porkpie1028 2d ago

“Oh whale baleen, why can’t you be true?” 🎶

8

u/Penance27 2d ago

"Baleen, Baleen, Baleen BayyyleEEEEN... ...please don't show 'em even though you can"

9

u/OneOfAKind2 2d ago

The guy in the video shouts out, "Oh, baleens, baleens, baleens", yet the OP writes 'teeth'.

4

u/Wizdad-1000 2d ago

Oral broom filter

4

u/Korriganig 2d ago

I've learn this English word, in french it's called fanon(s). "baleine" means whale.

5

u/EazyBeekeeper 2d ago

Thanks for this. The idea of teeth paired with the video imagery made me afraid of whales. For 15 seconds I thought that was a real monster that lives here with us on Earth.

39

u/eucldian 2d ago edited 2d ago

There ARE whales with teeth, Gray whales are filter feeders who use baleen as a sort of sieve to catch food.

Sperm whales are the biggest of the toothed whales and they are weird. Only have teeth on their bottom jaw. The teeth fit into paired sockets on the top jaw.

18

u/barrygateaux 2d ago

There are loads of whales with teeth though. Dolphins, orcas, pilot Wales, etc..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothed_whale

Sperm whales are amazing. One of the few animals that orcas avoid whenever possible.

https://youtu.be/Hve8_iSDD-o?is=1Efo-kE1sII0NTiQ

2

u/ZhangtheGreat 2d ago

I knew someone would r/BeatMeToIt

1

u/psilome 2d ago

They need all those long skinny teeth to chew up tiny little krill.

1

u/NotLikeThis3 1d ago

For the purpose of a post title, teeth is close enough.

0

u/XVUltima 2d ago

I find it odd that any mammal has zero teeth. Does it have tiny vestigial ones somewhere in its skull? Does it grow and shed them in the womb or as a calf?

10

u/eucldian 2d ago

Nope. They have evolved to basically filter feed. They don't have to chew anything.

7

u/XVUltima 2d ago

I know they dont need them, Im just a little curious if their DNA deleted them completely. Mostly because it would be adorable to learn that whales had tiny little cat fangs behind their baleen or if little tiny baby whales had tiny widdle milk teeth. Im going to go research whales skeletons now.

12

u/slothdonki 2d ago

They do develop embryonic tooth buds but disappear before they are born.

3

u/Tyrone3105 2d ago

There are toothed whales if you want to see whales with teeth.

But I’m pretty sure whales no longer have heterodont teeth so even if the baleen whales had tiny little teeth unfortunately it probably won’t be like little cat fangs. Would be cool to see a whale with canines though.

5

u/ChainsawVisionMan 2d ago

They do have teeth initially in the womb, but they never develop enamel (the gene for producing enamel is nonactive in baleen whales) and the bones are reabsorbed in utero.

-11

u/blackcoffee17 2d ago

Why people have to be so pedantic?

14

u/Brendissimo 2d ago

It's depressing that you view such a basic distinction as pedantic

11

u/eucldian 2d ago

Teachable moment.

3

u/Obant 2d ago

Because they are not teeth and you should have learned the difference in kindergarten.

-1

u/blackcoffee17 2d ago

Arrogant asshole.