African tigerfish catching swallow in flight

African tigerfish catch swallows in flight

Some species of fish are known to feed on stationary birds but experts say this is the first evidence of one catching birds on the wing.
Tigerfish are a predatory freshwater species that are best known for their large, razor-sharp teeth.
The behaviour was filmed at Schroda Dam, a man-made lake in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Bass, eels, piranhas and pike have all been acknowledged as freshwater species that prey on birds floating on the surface of the water or by the water's edge, but Prof Smit says this is the first record of freshwater fish catching birds in flight.

BBC link got a more serious video but i found the music of this one fitting for any science news...



Piranhas got nothing on this lill fella


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Article

You would think the fish jumped, but that doesn't cut it for a scientific magazine so they illustrate it like this

reply to post by Indigent


cool!

I've seen birds catching fish so I guess turnabout is fair play.

reply to post by Indigent


The discovery channel needs to capture one of these breaches! Shark weeks got nothing on these little guys.

reply to post by Indigent


I was compelled to look (morbid curiosity for some stuff, fish catching birds and all) but the guy who made the video didn't have to celebrate it with banjo music and excitement. Very sad for the bird (crunchy for the fish).

Are these the same as the Goliath Tigerfish AKA "Demon Fish"?

Growing up to 5 feet and length and weighing in at over 150 pounds, the Goliath Tigerfish makes a piranha look like a guppy in comparison to this ferocious beast. Locals say it’s the only fish that doesn’t fear the crocodile, and will even devour some of the smaller ones! In rare instances, it’s also been known to attack humans. *Gulp* As if 32 teeth the size of a Great White Shark’s weren’t scary enough, this fish has incredible eyesight in murky water and can sense low-frequency vibrations emitted by prey. It has been observed going after 60 pound catfish and literally slicing them in half. www.thefeaturedcreature.com...

"Jeremy Wade travels deep into the jungles of the Congo in search of a little-known predator that may be the most terrifying monster of all: the Goliath Tigerfish. This creature combines everything that made all previous river monsters deadly, and then some. Growing to 6 feet long with the jaws and teeth of a crocodile, this beast is covered in armor plating and thick muscle. Basically a giant piranha, the tigerfish is believe to be responsible for gruesome deaths, both in and out of water. The search for the elusive tigerfish pushes Jeremy to his mental limit as he uses everything he knows as a fisherman, as well as some luck from a witch doctor, to find this terrifying monster and uncover the truth behind a number of violent attacks." en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by Aleister


yeah someone added it and posted in youtube, clearly its not like that in the BBC link

i like banjo music

everything looks good with some happy music! Fish 1 - 0 Birds

reply to post by Indigent


You understand, don't you, that the fish under water has a distorted image of where the bird actually is in the air and must somehow account for that distortion--or else maybe it isn't that smart and it was merely a lucky catch.

Its' ok, it was just a Swallow.

I do find that Ironic.