Eats mainly shellfish,
polychaetes, crustaceans, and fish.
There are two pairs of mustaches on the ventral anterior side of the
lower jaw. They are hard cartilaginous mustaches, with fine protrusions on the
surface of the mustaches. There are taste buds in the opening of the
protrusion, which senses chemical substances (odors) in the water. Hard
mustachesextend down in front of the mouth, making it suitable
for finding food in the mud and inhaling it by mouth. They are similar to the
mustaches of cod, which is a demersal fish.
Adult fish have no teeth andswallow
food as if they are inhaling it.
The loop-shaped elongated
stomach has an ampulla at the end of the stomach (the pyloric region) with a
thick muscular layer. This muscle layer contracts and grinds food into a paste.
It plays a role similar to that of the gizzards of birds.
