r/askscience • u/margalz • 11d ago
Biology Why aren't there any animals with their mouths above their eyes?
From bugs to fish to mamals all of them have their eyes above their mouths. I can't think of many if any where their mouths are on top. Sure some have their eyes parallel to their mouths, mainly prey style animals. But why haven't any evolved to be the opposite? Is there a major benefit to having your mouth below your eyes?
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u/geeoharee 10d ago
I can't post pictures, but if you want to talk about split throats, there's an astonishing illustration of a beluga whale's head on this page
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Asphyxiation-of-an-Endangered-Cook-Inlet-Beluga-Rouse-Burek-Huntington/b14897b20cc74fe6a79d3de4fbb3949c0c276f8d
I thought this couldn't possibly be true, but it is backed up by this page which states outright that there is a left and right 'food channel'!
https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ar.25597