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Planktivore

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Planktivore

planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton or phytoplankton. For example; Titanichthys was the first massive vertebrate pelagic planktivore, with a lifestyle similar to that of the modern basking, whale, or megamouth sharks.

Examples of Planktivores

One example of a plantivore is the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Humpback whales and other similar whales are classified as baleen whales. This means they consume all types of plankton and krill with the help of baleen. Baleen are bristle like structures in the whales mouth that hang down in place of teeth. They are similar to the bristles on a broom. Baleen whales take in large amounts of water into their mouths and all of the plankton and krill that was in the water is filtered through the baleen. This allows the whale to separate their food from the water column. The water is pushed out of the mouth and all of the remaining plankton become the whales meal.

References

Planktivore Wikipedia


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