Pharyngeal jaws

Pharyngeal jaws

Pharyngeal jaws are a "second set" of jaws contained within an animal's mouth, or pharynx, distinct from the primary jaws.

The most notable example of a species possessing a pharyngeal jaw is the Moray Eel. Moray Eels actually do have an inner set of jaws, which have their own teeth. Due to difficulties caused by their body posture, Moray eels cannot swallow food normally like other fish. Instead, when Moray eels bite prey, their inner set of jaws is pulled forward, and bites down on the prey to grip it. Then the pharyngeal jaws are retracted, pulling the prey down the Moray eel's gullet and allowing it to be swallowed.

Probably the most famous example of pharyngeal jaws is the fictional extraterrestrial creature from the "Alien" film series called the "Xenomorph." In the films, Xenomorphs are depicted with a secondary, inner set of jaws mounted onto a proboscis inside of the throat (in place of a tongue). The proboscis can be rapidly shot forward with incredible force, and coupled with the sharp jaws on the end, easily tear completely through the victim's body in an instant. The Predalien, a hybrid between a Xenomorph and a Predator also possesses this same pharyngeal jaw only this one is seen to be used for killing victims and implanting embryos into them through a method of oral impregnation.

External links

* [http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_images.jsp?cntn_id=109985&org=NSF National Science Foundation article explaining Moray Eel pharyngeal jaws]
* [http://websrvr80il.audiovideoweb.com/il80web20024/nsf/mehta.mov Video of a Moray Eel's pharyngeal jaws, seen while feeding]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • pharyngeal arches — term used to denote the branchial arches (q.v.) in human embryos. The first and second pharyngeal arches (qq.v.) contribute to the formation of the upper and lower jaws and the hyoid bone. The third pharyngeal arch develops into the greater horn… …   Medical dictionary

  • Moray eel — Temporal range: Late Miocene–Recent …   Wikipedia

  • Cichlid — Cichlids Common freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Alien (creature in Alien franchise) — This article is about the creature from the Alien film series. For other fictional aliens, see Extraterrestrial life in popular culture. For other uses, see Alien (disambiguation). Alien An Alien in Alien vs. Predator Classification …   Wikipedia

  • Innovation (Evolution) — Eine phänotypische Innovation ist ein neues Merkmal oder eine neue Verhaltensweise in der evolutionären Stammesgeschichte, das sich nicht allein als Variation bestehender Merkmale der Vorfahren erklären lässt. Innovation steht somit in Abgrenzung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Muraena retifera — Reticulate moray Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class …   Wikipedia

  • retractor dorsalis — muscles associated with the pharyngeal jaws and used in swallowing food …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • perciform — ▪ fish order Introduction       any member of the order Perciformes, a group of bony fishes with more than 6,000 species placed in about 150 families. The order is the largest group of fishes in the world today. Perciform fishes occur in… …   Universalium

  • digestive system, human — Introduction  the system used in the human body for the process of digestion. The human digestive system consists primarily of the digestive tract (alimentary canal), or the series of structures and organs through which food and liquids pass… …   Universalium

  • ostariophysan — ▪ fish Introduction  any of about8,000 species of bony fishes (bony fish) belonging to a group that includes the majority of freshwater fishes throughout the world. Familiar representatives of this group are the minnows (minnow), suckers (sucker) …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”