Video: Fish leaps to catch birds on the wing

Ok, so tiger fish aren't cryptos, but the behavior has been a rumor that biologists thought was a myth for a long time.



They finally found out that the stories were true, and being into fish like I am, this is really cool to see even if I'm not seeing it with my own eyes. I feel a little like I did the first time I saw this:

This is the first confirmed record of a freshwater fish preying on birds in flight, the team reports in the Journal of Fish Biology1. Rumours of such behaviour by the African tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus), which has been reported as reaching one metre in length, have circulated since the 1940s. But Smit says that his team was “never really convinced by the anecdotal reports”. So, when they set out to study of the migration and habitat use of these animals in a South African lake in the Mapungubwe National Park, near the border with Botswana and Zimbabwe, they were not necessarily looking for fish flying out of the water.

Nevertheless, during their time at the lake, the researchers saw as many as 20 successful fish strikes on barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) every day. These ranged from pursuits by fish at the surface, followed by leaps, to direct attacks from deeper water.

Of course, tiger fish aren't as big as great whites, but they can do serious injury to fishermen who catch them on a bad day with those teeth and their speed and power. Well, look at what they can do. It takes serious speed to catch swallows on the wing. Maybe someday, I can actually see it happen in person.

S&F

So I take it they can jump out of water and bite you in the face. or wherever

reply to post by gardener


Yeah, with that kind of acceleration and those teeth, if they accelerate the wrong way and jump and slash, they can do some damage to you. Native fisherman also accuse the Goliath tiger fish of biting off stray dangly bits, too.