A Quick Bull Trout Fact!

In case you've ever wondered how these predators can devour such impressive sized meals...

Ok - this will be super quick, but I just came across a picture of a bull trout in my archives and find this too cool not to share. I always find it interesting how nature works, the incredibly intelligence that each species of fish, bird, animal is designed with to help them fill their position in the food chain. 

So here it is...

The maxillary point of a fish's jaw is essentially where the lower and upper jaws meet. On a rainbow trout, this corner can be found almost directly underneath the center of their eyeball. 

On a bull trout? 

Their maxillary actually extends backwards past their eye. What is the point of this? When devouring a large meal, as they are known to do, this allows them to actually flare their jaws open to a much greater degree. This is an attribute of many predatory species, but something that I still find incredibly impressive!

Use these photos for reference:

- Jordan Oelrich