#pharyngeal teeth

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Could I bother you for some facts about yoyo loach?

I have a pair of them and have since discovered their amusing nature regarding seemingly sleeping laying on their sides????? And their tendency to click surprisingly loudly when they’re happy or excited about something (something they apparently do using literal teeth in their throats)

Sure friend! Here's some facts about them! :)

Daily fish fact #416

Yoyo loach! (+pharyngeal teeth)

Well-known for their active and friendly personalities, they're kept in the aquarium trade often! They originate from the Ganges basin, where their natural habitat includes slow-moving, rock-bottomed waters with lots of vegetation.

The teeth in their throats that anon brings up are called pharyngeal teeth, also! Many fish, like carps and loaches, have pharyngeal teeth; they help them grind down food!

[aardwolfpack]

The mouth of a drum fish (family Sciaenidae) showing the pharyngeal plates and teeth.  Photographer unknown.

[aardwolfpack]

Pharyngeal plate of a drum fish (family Sciaenidae) photographed by WryRabbit.

[whatarenature]

Pharyngeal teeth of a Grass Carp (that's a mouthful. haha. teeth. mouthful. get it.)

Grass Carp, an invasive species from Asia, are pretty common in the rivers and ponds in my area.  Earlier in the spring I found the skeleton (plus some hanging on skin and scales) of a grass carp that must have been three feet long when it was alive.  Among the bones of the skeleton, I found a strange set of teeth, which I later found out are called pharyngeal teeth.  Apparently, they are used to grind up the plant matter the grass carp consumes.  Very interesting.   Anyway, here is a quick watercolor I did of them- I sketched this in pen, so the teeth are actually a little bit farther apart than they should be, but it's overall pretty accurate, and I'm quite proud.  

[shadyufo]

Now these are some of the coolest bones ever. I've been wanting to find/buy some forever and I finally came across the lovely Vanessa from ShopLarkAbout on Etsy - (who you cannot go wrong doing business with, folks!) who had some for sale in her shop.

These awesome bones are carp pharyngeal jaws. Pharyngeal jaws are a second set of jaws located in the throat of some 30,000 different species of fish. Everything from goldfish to moray eels have them and they played a big inspiration in the character development of the H. R. Giger Aliens (that super freaky second set of jaws!).

The one with the grooved teeth is from a grass carp, the one with small peg-like teeth is from a black carp, and the others are from silver carp.

I love these bones! 

[featherandmoss]

Pharyngeal teeth from (let to right) silver, bighead, grass, and black carp.  These are typically grouped together under the generic name "Asian carp." The Illinois River is pretty carp-tastic, as is much of the Mississippi River watershed, due to their introduction in the 1970's and subsequent proliferation and invasion, and if you live anywhere within like a 1000 mile radius of the Mississippi R watershed or the Great Lakes, you're probably aware of the threat they pose to your local ecosystem and fishing industries.  Not a real great situation, to put it mildly!

[fuckyeahtrypophobia]