Show whalebone not bone it grows on roof of mouth whalebone is not bone and it has none of the properties of bone the term is a popular name fr for an elastic fibrous substance that grows on the roof of the mouth of right and certain other species of whales whalebone more properly properio y called baleen consists consist S of a series of thin parallel plates on the palate and is a horny exaggeration of the ridges found on the roof of the mouth of most marn mammals mals baleen plates have been known to reach a length of 15 feet although they seldom exceed 12 feet even in the largest whalebone whales states a writer in the indianapolis news they take the place of teeth and their function is to strain the water that the creature takes up in large mouthfuls mouth fuls because of its lightness flexibility and toughness whalebone is used in corsets stays and other art articles acles for stiffening dresses balers whalers prepare the product for the market by boiling it until it is quite soft and then cutting it into strips of the required size formerly the whale was often confused with the walrus and other sea an animals and the expression white as whales whale S bone originally meant white as walrus ivory |