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Project Noah Nature School
Pogonias cromis
fragments, largest approx. 3/4 inch
spotted in semi-wooded area near Indian River, under very tall tree
These were a curiosity until I spotted a few fish scales near by. They are probably the remnants of an osprey meal. The following quote suggests that these are the 'crushers" of a black drum. (common in the river) "Red drum possess large pointed canine pharyngeal teeth that are used in the shredding of shrimp, fish and other soft-bodied prey, while black drum have mollariform teeth and heavy toothplates that transmit large forces to hard-shelled bivalve prey."
Spotted on Dec 19, 2012
Submitted on Dec 19, 2012
8 Comments
Interesting!
Hi, Chief. If you check the reference link you can see the teeth as they appear in the fish's throat.
auntnance123, I had never heard of pharyngeal teeth until I got here to Project Noah; there are a couple of other spottings of these beautiful objects.
Appreciate that, Ava. Many fish, both fresh and salt water species, that eat molluscs, shellfish and crabs have these 'throat crushers' to aid in their digestion. And as I understand it, they are are shaped differently depending on the food and size of the fish.
Amazing spotting!
Thank you both. Emily, it is amazing what the rain, birds and armadillos unearth; I find new stuff all the time. And, yes, Diane, I've seen some extremely big drum in the river. (this one was most likely a small juvenile)
I had to look this up. Very cool spotting ! This fish can grow to a very large size.
Amazing! What a wild find!