The Mandibles

[Zilla103192]

I have heard a few theories as to just why the Yaujta have those face mandibles. Ranging from "mating plumage" to "using them to hold prey in their mouth."

What theories have you heard/ come up with as to what they serve? Are there any official answers to this?

One cool theory I had seen before is that they developed them as a natural defense against facehuggers.

[HuDaFuK]

One cool theory I had seen before is that they developed them as a natural defense against facehuggers.

...which clearly doesn't work, given how many Predaliens we see.

[whiterabbit]

They must be used for mating. Those mandibles probably hold on for dear life after the rest of the predators body is ripped off and eaten by the female. Considering how the predalien mates... it must be the same for the predator. Egg barfer.

[RakaiThwei]

I would think that the mandibles are used for holding onto food and while the interior teeth are used for tearing into meat.

[worldpeace]

multipurpose . eating. communication . intimidation . i like the idea of the mandibles controlling certain technology from the inside of the mask.

[HuDaFuK]

i like the idea of the mandibles controlling certain technology from the inside of the mask.

That doesn't explain how they got them in the first place though.

[worldpeace]

it was a side thought. this question has no real answer anyway.

[DJ Pu$$yface]

When I was young I thought they stopped facehuggers getting into their mouths 

[DUB1]

One cool theory I had seen before is that they developed them as a natural defense against facehuggers.

I'm sure the mandibles do a good job of protecting a Predator when they tear into the facehugger's flesh, causing it to bleed in the Predator's face and melt away the mandibles.

Why didn't that work for Scar? Did the facehugger nab it too quickly?

[happypred]

...which clearly doesn't work, given how many Predaliens we see.

Not that many?

I'd agree they're not a great defense

[whiterabbit]

i like the idea of the mandibles controlling certain technology from the inside of the mask.

It's like an extra set of hands... that's pretty damn cool. Although everything seems to be controlled at the wrist box.

[worldpeace]

predator uses the pointy tips of his nails to activate his wrist bomb in predator 1, so in theory, tiny grooves that the mandibles slide into or press or tap could activate the voice recorder for instance to memorise a voice .. or perhaps activate a voice or written communication device in the mask between predators spread out in a hunt or battle . mandibles clicking or rattling like a morse code would be neat.

i like the idea of the mandibles controlling certain technology from the inside of the mask.

It's like an extra set of hands... that's pretty damn cool. Although everything seems to be controlled at the wrist box.

[Randomizer]

They could be used to eat food or what worldpeace said about the technology inside the mask .

[Xenomorphine]

The true answer is going to sound terribly mundane, but it's probably just because that's the kind of thing they evolved from, like most animals.

We've got jaws the way we have, because we came from things which had that body plan. It'd be the same for them. They evolved from something which has multiple sections, whereas we came from things which had just the two. Their purpose is clearly to shred flesh into tiny pieces. If something evolved from, say, ants, you'd probably get the end result having sideways-closing mandibles, too.

Alternatively, they might be like squid, where their brains are a doughnut-shape around the mouth and they need to make whatever they swallow a certain maximum size or risk brain damage. The actual part food seems to go down does appear rather small.