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Feeding Behavior

Feeding Behavior. • Morphology is often a key to feeding behavior – many fish have specialized habits or features that determine what they eat. • Actual feeding may depend on what is available

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Feeding Behavior

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  1. Feeding Behavior • Morphology is often a key to feeding behavior – many fish have specialized habits or features that determine what they eat.• Actual feeding may depend on what is available • Optimal foraging – Take whatever is closest, as long as it is suitable food – Highest quality of food for the least amount of effort

  2. Morphology- Specialized Mouths • Sea Horse • -Mouth like a straw, no stomach, feed on plankton • Parrot Fish • -Beak like mouth, used to eat coral • Sharks • -Softer jaw, many rows of teeth • Rays • -Bottom feeder, mouth is located underneath them

  3. Sea Horse Feeding

  4. Parrot fish mouth

  5. Shark Mouth

  6. Ray Mouth

  7. Optimal Foraging • All else being equal, take the largest prey • Don’t choose prey that takes more energy than it provides • Be in a habitat that provides the type of food you are looking for

  8. Risk Sensitive Foraging • Foraging is sometimes restricted because of undo risk – It does not make sense to look for prey where you will become the prey – Must balance energy gain possibility with risk of obtaining the energy

  9. Finding Food • Visual detection – Diurnal feeders – Means being in the open in bright light – Common in bottom dwelling species • Electrical detection • Use heart beats of prey to find them • Rely on movement of animals

  10. Agressive Behavior • Direct charges – Often includes biting • Ritualistic displays – Modified swimming – Flaring gill covers – Color changes – Threatening movements

  11. Reasons for Aggressive Behavior • Defense of territory – Usually connected with reproduction – Sometimes to keep food source • Defense of brood • Repelling competitors for mates

  12. Resting Behavior • Inactive state• Some fish spend a large part of the day not doing anything • Many species change color patterns • Most fish rest on or near the substrate • Many fish have a specified time of day when resting takes place • Some fish never rest (Sleep swimming?) – Must keep moving (sharks)

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