Xenomorph Inner Mouth

Rick

Have you ever wondered what/how/why the Inner mouth of the Xeno came to be.?  I was always curious about how they came up with the concept so I did some research.  The inner mouth of the Xeno is actually real.  It's crazy that something in our world has a similar mechanism.  It is called a Pharyngeal Jaw.  This is common to the Moray Eel.  The Moray Eel has a Pharyngeal Jaw.  It's nothing like the Xeno's and has a lot more in common with the Deacon then the actual Xeno, but still cool none the less.  I have included a diagram showing how the Pharyngeal Jaw functions.

Pretty awesome huh.  

BULL ALIEN

Hmm interesting, I wonder what the mouths of the next aliens will be like . Good find about the eels.

Rick

Yeah Its pretty cool.  I think the Moray Eel Inner Mouth is more like the deacon mouth Deacons only juts out a little bit.  The Moray Eels doesn't extend past its outer mouth.  It kind of reminds me of a snake mouth.  See below

ninXeno426

ninXeno426

Rick

Image of Goble Goble I mean Goblin Shark.

ninXeno426

Intheyear2525

The inner mouth is meant to be phallic. Killing its prey by penetrating force. The xeno from Alien was intended to be a genderless, eyeless creature that rapes its victim at every life stage and truly ravaging the human body. 

BigDave

Indeed its surprising how many things in our Oceans connect to what we see in the Xenomorph and related Organisms Biology.

I know for sure they borrowed the Goblin Shark for the Deacon but as far as the Xeno i am not sure they referenced the Eel, i think it was just coincidence.

The original idea was a bit different and like below.

But he took this concept off from some of his other work, with similar like extended barbs if you would.  I am trying to think which few works he shown similar.

Ati

BigDave, that will be your favourite one:

Gulper Eel

'An eel with a mouth like a pelican. Little is known about this deep-sea monster, which lives around 3,000 metres below the surface and grows up to six feet long.

Why they are terrifying: Their weirdly enlarged jaws and super stretchy stomachs allow them to swallow prey as large as they are.'

Ati

Goblin shark

'Goblin sharks live up to 1,300 metres below sea level and grow to around 3.5 metres long. They scan the seabed with super-long snouts, detecting the tiny electrical currents given off by all living things.

Why they are terrifying: Because they seem to detach their whole mouth from their body to grab their prey.'

Ati

Megamouth shark

'The megamouth shark grows to up to 5.5 metres long, yet wasn’t discovered until 1976. It has a massive mouth with a glowing light inside to attract its tiny plankton prey.

Why they are terrifying: Because only 55 specimens have ever been seen. If something so big can hide from is for so long, what else might be down there?'

Ati

What else?

Vampire squid (alias Facehugger squid)(...kiddin'):

Ati

Fangtooth (alias Biomecha Xeno fish)(...kiddin' again):

Ati

Anglerfish, Blackswallower, Barreleye, Blobfish:

Dr. Curt Connors

@Ati   I'm gonna have nightmares tonight, haha

Ati

That Blobfish is something... one can't find the words. And it exists.

Dr. Curt Connors

That thing is so creepy

ninXeno426

Rick

Nin,

I like this find better

Blob Fish for Dinner any body?

ninXeno426

suwhited

@All

Interesting comments posted about already, but I would like to take the vantage point of "Why this specialized skill was bred, spliced, or lucked onto by it's creators (Whether Engineer, David, or otherwise).

It's functions as a nice "concealed weapon" that works great in up close fighting.

That being said, I cannot honestly contrive a reason for it to exist other as a weapon.  It does not serve as purpose for eating, as the creature is equipped with a well-able  outer mouth with adequate choppers. It also does not have a function in mating, nurturing young, or socializing.

It also does not/should not serve as as a viable defense mechanism because the inner mouth relies on close proximity. Additionally, as we all know, the Xeno is equipped with a host of other skillsets and features that make it one tough hombre to attack (Quickness and agility, tough outer skin, acid for blood, nasty claws, etc.). That rules out natural selection.

This leads me to one conclusion. This feature was bred as part of an offensive arsenal for the Xeno. BLUF: I believe this creature was created as a weapon and all these features like the deadly inner mouth were contrived to make it as deadly as possible.

Let me know what you think. 

Dr. Curt Connors

@suwhited    I agree, I don't really see it as anything other than a weapon either.

dk

Rick-

To add to your goblin shark post- about 15 seconds in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTO5debfmsg