Issue Information

Abstract

Journal of MorphologyVolume 284, Issue 4 e21570 ISSUE INFORMATIONFree Access Issue Information First published: 15 February 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.21570AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Graphical Abstract Cover Caption: Filter-feeding has been present for hundreds of millions of years, independently evolving in aquatic vertebrates' numerous times. Mysticete whales are a group of gigantic, marine filter-feeders that are defined by their fringed baleen and are divided into two groups: balaenids and rorquals. Recent studies have shown that balaenids likely feed using a self-cleaning, cross-flow filtration mechanism where food particles are collected and then swept to the esophagus for swallowing. However, it is unclear how filtering is achieved in the rorquals (Balaenopteridae). In this issue of the Journal of Morphology, Vandenberg and coauthors (e21574) used microcomputed tomography (μCT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), to visualize and describe the variability in baleen anatomy across five species of rorqual whales, spanning two orders of magnitude in body length. They found that pore size is likely not a proxy for prey size but instead, may reflect changes in resistance through the filter that affect fluid flow. Volume284, Issue4April 2023e21570 RelatedInformation