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Effects of size are pervasive and affect nearly all aspects of the biology of animals and plants. Theoretical scaling models have been developed to predict the effects of size on the functioning of musculo-skeletal systems. Although numerous experimental studies have investigated the effects of size on the movements of skeletal elements during locomotion and feeding in vertebrates, relatively little is known about the scaling of the muscles and bones responsible for the actual movements. Here, we examine the scaling of external morphology, skeletal elements of the feeding system, and a number of cranial muscles to understand how this may affect the movements observed during suction feeding in the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. The results show that neither the head nor the cranial elements themselves scale according to geometric similarity models. Relative to head size,distinct changes in the mass …