what are these holes ?

amiidae · Post by **amiidae** » 26 Feb 2006, 10:04

Hi guys,

Just noticed this - may I know what are these 4 holes ? nostrils ?

thanks

ben

Kana3 · Post by **Kana3** » 26 Feb 2006, 10:23

Yep!

Pretty nifty Huh? I reckon they look like the little squirters for your windscreen-wipers!

amiidae · Post by **amiidae** » 26 Feb 2006, 14:47

Kana3 wrote:Yep!

Pretty nifty Huh? I reckon they look like the little squirters for your windscreen-wipers!

ha ha , now you've mentioned.

any second opinion abt these 4 holes ?

Post by **Silurus** » 26 Feb 2006, 15:01

To elaborate further, the front pair are incurrent, and the rear pair, excurrent nostrils.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 26 Feb 2006, 21:43

exactly.

What Silurus doesn't mention, but he hints at:
fish do not have a nostril wich is connected to the roof of the mouth or the back of the throat....they cannot "breathe" by entering water (or air) through the nose.

There are a few exceptions: lungfish, and the now extinct fish like Eusthenopteron wich are on the root of the evolutionary tree of all landdwelling vertebrates.

the nostril wich connects the outside to the inside of the mouth was an invention by fish aiming for life on land, so to speak

the other "tribe" of fish (all the other fishes from herring to swordfish) use their nostrils only for sense of smell and thus the nostrils are some sort of "U" shape (or tunnel) wich has entrance and exit; both outside.

Waldo · Post by **Waldo** » 27 Feb 2006, 04:48

so do fish sneaze or stay awake at nite because of the hissing sound their noses make? Thats what the ichthyologists should really be concerned about.