Catfish in the Tarn River in south-west France are the only ones ever to be
observed exhibiting the behaviour
Researchers have no idea why they hunt the birds
but speculate it could be because of declining prey
The term 'a fish out of water' describes someone
taken from his natural environment to one he's not comfortable in.
But a group catfish in one odd ecological pocket
have shown themselves to be rather comfortable with leaping on to dry land.
A study published yesterday investigates the
remarkable phenomenon of the catfish that hunt pigeons.
Catfish in south-west France have been spotted
leaping from a river to snap up the unsuspecting birds, before wriggling back
beneath the water to swallow them.
The unusual behaviour - similar to the way some
marine mammals beach themselves to snap up prey from the shore - has never been
seen among catfish in their native range.
It has led researchers the University of
Toulouse to dub them 'freshwater killer whales'.
Between 1m and 1.5m long, European catfish are
the largest freshwater fish on the continent and third largest in the world.
Most catfish are bottom feeders, consuming
aquatic plants, other fish, decaying vegetation, fish eggs and crayfish as well
as snails, aquatic bugs and minnows.
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