Why are they yawning at me?!

BrainGirl · 12-10-2014, 06:34 PM

My cat has done it for years, I look at her and she automatically yawns without fail. Now my betta fish, Igor has started! The last couple of times I've looked in on him today he's yawned as soon as he saw me. My chinchillas yawn and stretch when they come out to greet me. WHY???

Shannonmcn · 12-10-2014, 06:39 PM

Cats only yawn when they feel comfortable with you, it's a sign of relaxation

(sometimes dominance in cat-cat relations but I choose to believe in the former interpretation). I also read somewhere that yawning and breath-smelling was a form of bonding but I can't remember where so don't quote me on that.

Generally any mammal will only yawn when it's heart rate is slow and steady and sleepy, therefore relaxed enough for a snooze. Unfortunately fish aren't mammals and I don't know why your fish seem so relaxed

Skeever · 12-10-2014, 06:45 PM

You don't want to hear the REAL answer, do you?

I'm trying to picture a fish yawning. Then trying to figure out if I would know what they were doing if they did yawn. Maybe he's belching? He's underwater so they'd be silent burps

I know one of the first signs they mention of a happy hammy is yawning. Gotta be relaxed to yawn , generally .....

Just to be sure, I'd think about what I talked to them about....try not to tell them the same stories over and over again, forgetting that you already told them. They can only politely listen for so long before it bores them silly.

Shannonmcn · 12-10-2014, 06:52 PM

I've honestly thought about this too much but a fish can't yawn since they don't have a mouth-lungs respiratory system. The equivalent would be a lazy gill movement. Or whatever that is called.

I'm glad I dont keep fish, I know literally nothing about fish.

Edit: silent fishburps, omg skeever...

BrainGirl · 12-10-2014, 06:57 PM

Oh this is cool, just found this on Wikipedia:

"Similarly, Siamese fighting fish yawn only when they see a conspecific (same species) or their own mirror-image, and their yawn often accompanies aggressive attack."

BrainGirl · 12-10-2014, 06:59 PM

But Skeever, wouldn't underwater fish belches be accompanied by air bubbles? That's how I know that fish can fart

Skeever · 12-10-2014, 07:01 PM

*yawns*

Huh? Wha...? Oh....you didn't mention if there was or was not a bubble.

Fish fart? Wow.

Now I'm wondering if other fish get offended....and reminded of the scene in Finding Nemo with the two seagulls and the bubble......

BrainGirl · 12-10-2014, 07:01 PM

LOL! I yawned when I was reading the Wiki article about yawning!

Shannonmcn · 12-10-2014, 07:05 PM

Thats really cool, so yawning is an aggressive or dominance response in some fish, like sometimes with cats! That's actually really interesting how the same behaviour almost corresponds between classes of creatures! I can see a parallel with humans as well, yawning or feigning disinterest as a dominance display.

Im being such a geek, I don't even do biology I'm a structural engineer!

BrainGirl · 12-10-2014, 07:17 PM

No bubbles...this time. I know for a fact that whales fart. I remember reading about a scientific expedition, I think they had underwater mics, and there was a familiar sound. Everybody ran to the side of the boat where the whale was so they could get a whiff of whale gas. Gotta love scientists

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