A comparative study of the suction feeding strategies in Serranus cabrilla and Serranus scriba was carried out. Several specimens from both species were filmed at high speed. From these films, kinetics of the suction movements and dynamic parameters, such as volume increase/time, were calculated. A simulation model of the hydrodynamics of suction feeding was used to calculate velocities, accelerations and pressure waves. Simulation results are within the range of those previously found with experimental methods for other species. The results showed that feeding strategies are different. S. cabrilla is feeding as from an ambush, with a sudden big head expansion whereas S. scriba expands its head more gradually. The graudal increase could be related to a feeding mode in which an important component of the feeding flow is contributed to swimming. These differences are discussed in the context of the ecology of the species.

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