noun
- slender, whisker-like sensory organs extending from the mouth or snout of certain fish
Usage: zoology
Examples
- The catfish used its barbels to locate food in the murky water.
- Carp have four barbels around their mouths.
- The barbels help bottom-feeding fish detect prey in dark conditions.
- Many species of sturgeon possess barbels for sensing their environment.
- The fish’s barbels twitched as it searched for insects in the sand.
- Barbels are highly sensitive to chemical changes in the water.