Sam Van Wassenbergh

In a detailed analysis of the movements by the complexly interconnected skeletal elements of the feeding system, we try to gain some insight in the mechanics of prey capture in this catfish.  More specifically, a kinematic analysis using high-speed X-ray videos of prey-capturing catfish allowed us to evaluate the action of a number of mechanical pathways for mouth opening and hyoid depression proposed in previous morphological studies.  More information can be found in the article:

A test of mouth-opening and hyoid-depression mechanisms during prey capture in a catfish using high-speed cineradiography (J. Exp. Biol 208, 4627-4639). (full text PDF).