Body Functions and Senses

            Today, I’m going to be discussing aspects of the body and how bettas use their senses. This will give you a better understanding of how a betta survives and functions in an environment. Let’s start off with the mouth structure.

The Mouth

(Starting from the left: Leo, Ares, and Autolycus)

           

           The Betta’s mouth is possibly one of its most interesting features. Bettas have rows, upon rows of tiny, sharp teeth. In proportion to body size, a betta’s jaw is larger and stronger than that of the great white shark! Pretty cool, huh? However, don’t let that scare you off; bettas are also gentle parents. They use their mouths to scoop up their young, and deliver them to the nest safe and sound (We’ll talk more about parenting later on). A betta’s mouth is upturned, which is known as the superior mouth position. This allows the Betta to eat from the surface of the water, scoop up their young, and tend to their nests. (Tullock)

The Swim Bladder

            Let’s move on to the swim bladder. Like many other types of fish, the betta has an organ called the swim bladder. The swim bladder is filled with gas that allows the betta to rise and sink in the water, just by making minor adjustments to the gas pressure inside the organ. (Tullock) Over-feeding can cause the betta to lose buoyancy in the water, rendering the swim bladder completely useless until digestion. We’ll talk more about this problem later and how to avoid/treat it.

Senses 

            The senses of the betta are both similar and completely different compared to human’s senses. I will explain how Bettas see, hear, taste, smell, and even detect potential threats.

WARNING: Do not try the example of betta alignment below! This is stressful to the betta and disorienting; not to mention CRUEL!!!

Vision: Betta’s rely on their eye-sight alone to align themselves in the water; they do this by detecting light, which is usually directly above them reflecting off the water surface. According to John Tullock, “If you shine a flashlight into the side of an otherwise darkened tank, the Betta will usually swim sideways, positioning itself appropriately to the false “up” position. Change the direction of the light again and the Betta will orient accordingly.” Bettas cannot adjust to change in brightness as easily as people can. If you turn on an aquarium light in a darkened room, the betta will act startled. Turn on room lights first in order to avoid this problem. Each of the betta’s eyes produces a different image, known as monocular vision. A Betta lacks depth perception and can only focus on objects that are about a foot away. (Tullock)

Hearing: Betta’s ears are a simple inner chamber that detects vibrations passed over sensory components within the chamber to provide sound. It is also believed that the swim bladder assists the inner chamber to amplify and distinguish sound patterns. (Tullock)

Taste and Smell: The way in which bettas taste is quite fascinating. Bettas have taste buds located at the mouth, lips, and even…the fins! Bettas detect smells through the nostrils, just like you and I. These senses allow bettas to respond to chemicals in the water; such as the presence of food, and predators. (Tullock)

Lateral Line: Among the most interesting Betta senses is the lateral line. Bettas rely on the lateral line to locate nearby objects, find food, avoid obstacles, and detect predators. Due to their poor eye-sight, the lateral line is very beneficial to the betta. The lateral line has small holes along it which enable water pressure to affect specific nerve endings. The fish’s brain interprets the nerve signals as an image of the Betta’s surroundings! (Tullock) If the betta were to lose its eye-sight all-together, it would still be able to see its environment through mental imagery. Pretty neat, huh?

            Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed today's post! Please feel free to leave some comments or ask questions!

 

Sources which I will be using are from personal experience, and three of my favorite books dedicated to this topic:

 

Alderton, David. Bettas and Gouramis. Irvine: BowTie Press, 2004.

Robert J. Goldstein, Ph.D. The Betta Handbook. Hauppauge: Barron's, 2004.

Tullock, John H. Your Happy Healthy Pet Betta. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2006.