A model of mouth closing movements in Clariidae: the role of enlarged jaw adductors
Faster accelerations of the lower jaw can be expected from fishes that have large and forceful jaw muscles. Therefore, the observed jaw adductor hypertrophy in Clariidae could have a positive effect on the speed of jaw closure. In turn, this could increase the catfishes performance in capturing fast and agile prey such as small fishes. To investigate the role of jaw muscle hypertrophy on the speed of jaw closure, we developed a biomechanical model in which the lower jaw is represented as a rotating half-elliptic surface. More information and results can be found in:
Van Wassenbergh S., Aerts, P., Adriaens, D. and Herrel, A. (2005). A dynamic model of mouth closing movements in clariid catfishes: the role of enlarged jaw adductors. J. Theor. Biol. 234, 49-65 (full text PDF) (Full text HTML at Elsevier Science Direct)
