Baleen is a natural product that comes from baleen feeding whales. Like the Humpback, Bowhead, Blue, Right and others. They have between 150 and 300 sets of these.  Baleen whales were named for the long plates of baleen which hang in a row (like the teeth of a comb) from their upper jaws. Baleen plates are strong and flexible; they are made of a protein similar to human fingernails. Baleen plates are broad at the base (gumline) and taper into a fringe which forms a curtain or mat inside the whale's mouth. Baleen whales strain huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates to capture food: tons of krill, other zooplankton, crustaceans, and small fish. Baleen is also called whalebone and used to be used as a plastic-like material.