An important part of the
anatomy of most
bony fishes is that they have two sets of
jaws made mainly of
bone. The primary
oral jaws open and close the mouth, and a second set of
pharyngeal jaws are positioned at the back of the throat. The oral jaws are used to capture and manipulate prey by biting and crushing. The pharyngeal jaws, so-called because they are positioned within the
pharynx, are used to further process the food and move it from the mouth to the stomach.