Template:POTD/2010-02-21
An illustration of the pharyngeal jaws of a moray eel, a "second set" of jaws contained within an animal's pharynx, distinct from the primary (oral) jaws. When the moray bites prey, it first bites normally with its oral jaws, capturing the prey. Immediately thereafter, the pharyngeal jaws are brought forward and bite down on the prey to grip it; they then retract, pulling the prey down the eel's esophagus, allowing it to be swallowed.Image: Zina Deretsky, NSF; SVG conversion: Pbroks13