i have gold fish and quite often they open there mouths really wide for ages just like there yawning. i've checked for pebbles as i know thty pick them up. it looks really weired
2007-08-19 11:42:49 · 20 answers · asked by bummble bee 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Yes, fish do yawn. I have watched them do it for many years. It looks really cool and most of the larger species do it. I haven't really noticed it in the smaller species like guppys, tetras and danios, but I imagine they do it too, just quicker so we don't see it.
As for the people who said is was because they aren't getting enough O2.... baloney! When a fish isn't getting enough O2, it is rapidly gasping at the surface of the water where there is more O2.
2007-08-19 12:00:45 · answer #1 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 5⤊ 2⤋
It's really good that you observe your fish so carefully.
When I deeply yawn, I close my eyes and tilt my head back because it feels good. I am stretching the muscles and tendons which open and close my mouth as wide as possible without damaging it.. AAAhhh there I just did it.
I've been to many aquariums and have seen all sorts of fish do the exact same thing. Fish use their mouths and gills all the time as they suck in the water and force it through & out their gills to breathe. I suppose a strectch or flex of the muscles they use constantly might actually "feel good" to the fish. Keeps those parts from cramping up. Like when we stretch or touch our toes before a long walk. It feels good. By yawning they are not gasping, just flexing/stretching a busy set of muscles and tendons they use all the time. They are not short on oxygen. Also I have noticed that when they yawn, many times their dorsal fin (back fin) flexes straight up along their back as they "yawn". :)
2007-08-19 12:25:05 · answer #2 · answered by Joe H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi....
Apparently & Suprisingly enough.......They Do!!!!!!
Here is a section taken from, HowStuffWorks Where it says...Fish do Yawn.....Shocking!
The simple truth is that even though humans have been yawning for possibly as long as they have existed, we have no clue as to why we do it. Maybe it serves some healthful purpose. It does cause us to draw in more air and our hearts to race faster than normal, but so does exercise. There's still much we don't understand about our own brains, so maybe yawning is triggered by some area of the brain we have yet to discover. We do know that yawning is not limited to man. Cats, dogs, even fish yawn, which leads us back to the idea that yawning is some form of communication.
Well I never.........Aha ha ha!
2007-08-19 11:51:59 · answer #3 · answered by Maryann 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Fish do not yawn. Yawning is not something we do when we are oxygen deprived (normal respiration gives the body more oxygen than yawning does). Yawning (scientifically) has been proven to be related to emotions. Fish don't have emotions, so it is not a "yawn". This "yawn" can be attributed to stretching, eating, or stress. It is not a real yawn.
Nosoop4u
2007-08-19 11:58:01 · answer #4 · answered by nosoop4u246 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hi Bumble Bee, My fish yawn several times a day-I can only assume they do it cos it feels good. If you notice when they do it they also flare their fins to the fullest extent just like we do with our arms when we yawn-nothing to worry about.
2007-08-19 13:48:32 · answer #5 · answered by John 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
my fish do the same. it's not always caused through oxygen starvation either cos mine aren't starved. it could be a yawn to get extra air into them but i was told its a fish burp. don't know how true that is but quite believeable the amount they eat!
2007-08-19 11:57:13 · answer #6 · answered by Karen D 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No, fish don't yawn. They get oxygen from their gills, but humans inhale oxygen through their nose or mouth. We yawn when we dont get enough oxygen. My fish open their mouths for a veeerrrryyy long time too, but its not yawning.
2007-08-19 11:51:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yes, they do yawn. The others are right in saying they are trying to get air...but that's what yawning IS. We, too, yawn when we are oxygen deprived. It's not a bad thing; it's natural.
2007-08-19 11:48:29 · answer #8 · answered by Linds 3 · 6⤊ 2⤋
They're just saying they need more oxygen. I suggest if you dont have already, buy a thing that makes bubles, and/or get some of those salt things that make bubbles. Goldfish esspecially do this when they're in those little fish bowls , there is definatly no oxygen in those.
2007-08-19 11:49:59 · answer #9 · answered by Kelly H. 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
lol you are quite funny if you know fish don't yawn in their life time and i want to tell good joke hahahahaha
2007-08-20 00:55:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋