Digestive system of humpback whales stretching like an accordion. They allow whales to open their mandible to 90 degrees to gulp water and prey. They expel saltwater through the baleen plates, leaving behind krill and plankton. The whale's tongue plays a vital role in filter feeding, as it is used to push the water out of its mouth while keeping the prey trapped in its baleen bristles. As humpback whales do not have teeth, their food is swallowed whole and travels down the esophagus into the preliminary stomach (known as the forestomach) to be ground. Baleen whales have a multi-chambered stomach, divided into three distinct
Captive killer whales twice that length or and a minimum depth of , giving a minimum volume of for two killer whales. Each additional killer whale requires a pool with an additional of volume. 9 CFR 3.104 also requires a minimum of surface area per killer whale in Table IV (the example with a cylindrical tank in diameter for two whales provides of surface area per killer whale). Swiss regulations require a larger minimum volume: × deep for two killer whales, or . The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA) goes further, and recommends for two killer whales. The US exhibitors