Strange Behavior: Big Fish Catches Birds On Land
It's an upside down world where fish capture and eat birds, but some European catfish have been spied doing just this. These fish have apparently mastered water and land to nab air-dwelling prey. Check out this amazing video of the European catfish in action catching pigeons
This novel behavior is described by researchers from the University of Toulouse in a journal article published last week. Over a period of four months, the researchers observed a group of catfish living in the Tarn River in Southwestern France. During this time, they recorded 54 incidents of these fish hunting pigeons.
The European catfish is a very large species. They average four to five feet in length but can grow as long as 13 feet and weigh as much as 400 pounds. The European catfish is not native to the Tarn River, but was introduced into the river in 1983. Since these fish do not hunt birds in their native habitat, scientist believe this new behavior is likely an adaptation to the conditions of the new environment. Is there anything this monster fish cannot do?