Does This Remind You Of Evolution?

Source

Most people who watch nature shows have seen the famous killer whales of Patagonia rushing up onto the shore to catch unsuspecting sea lions. But how about catfish preying in the same orca-like manner on pigeons?

I'm not sure why, but this reminds me of evolution in a way. If more of these catfish survive by doing this, eventually all of them (in certain areas I guess?) will be able to do this. Maybe over the years they will be able to do it more effectively?

Its a short thread, yea, but I just wanted to see if this reminded anyone else what it reminded me of.

reply to post by Vandettas


I don't think that this is evolution, as muh as it is learning. The catfish is simply using what it has to try and catch an alternative source of food. It's not going to develop legs for runnning up on shore and grabbing it. Those catfish just figured out that city chickens taste good, and are a filling meal for an 8 pound fish.

reply to post by Vandettas


While interesting behavior nonetheless, according the video, the catfish don't really seem to be beaching themselves, but, more so simply taking advantage of birds pretty much already in the water.

While they may very well be performing some out of water lunges, this behavior could, over a very long period of time through generations develop into a new adaptation where over an even much longer period of time over tens of thousands of years, perhaps, eventually exhibit some physical adaptations in response to the behavioral adaptations.

That is, of course, if the birds don't wise up, and learn to stay away from the water when they see catfish.
If the birds wise up, then, the catfish no longer have a chance to exhibit this behavior.
The behavior between birds and catfish could also pendulum between periods of the birds adapting to the tactic then eventually forgetting where the catfish begin to exhibit the behavior again back and forth for something of a short-term punctuated equilibrium at least on behavioral adaptations.

No, because it's not Evolution. It's just a change in their behavior is all. Still pretty interesting, I wonder if they are learning from the Orcas themselves by either watching or listening in on them somehow or maybe they just learned to do it on their own.

Evolution is caused by a trait that makes you better at surviving also being a trait that tends to get spread further afield genetically. Thus, what is happening here....could drive a genetic drift towards fish that are better able to gather shoreline food, or perhaps last slightly longer out of water. Or maybe even get longer teeth or something to account for a need to eat bird instead of bottom food (carrion, insects, bugs, etc).

The OP is correct in asking if we are seeing evolution in progress. However, to determine that will take several generations for the fish, as well as likely a more diverse shoreline food source than just pigeon.

while this isnt evolution, it could lead to evolution. if generations of catfish continue to do this at some point in time there will be a mutation that helps them to catch shoreline prey easier. whos to say that in a million years catfish wont be a fish anymore

100th monkey principle IMO.

Catfish consciousness.

Pigeons that come to close to the water are more likely to be removed from the gene pool. And the catfish that are good at catching pigeons are more likely to to have offspring.

It is a snapshot of evolution. Of course, evolution usually is a processes that take thousands or million of years before we can notice significant differences.