Do fish chew their food?

Not in the human manner. Carnivorous fish like sharks use their sharp teeth to seize and hold prey while swallowing it whole or in large pieces. Bottom dwellers such as rays are equipped with large flat teeth that crush the shellfish they consume. Herbivorous fish (grazers) often lack jaw teeth, but have tooth-like grinding mills in their throats, called pharyngeal teeth. Fish would suffocate if they tried to chew, for chewing would interfere with the passage of water over the gills, necessary for obtaining oxygen.