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African Catfish Hunts On Land

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the that's-just-creepy dept.

Dave Knott writes "The journal Nature will be publishing a report on an African catfish that hunts its prey on land. The fish wriggles out of the swamps to catch land-based prey. From the article: 'The eel catfish, Channallabes apus, catches unsuspecting victims by arching upwards and descending upon prey, trapping an insect against the ground before sucking it up. The same trick may have been used by the very first vertebrates to venture onto land, the researchers speculate.' There is a video of the fish in action."

11 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Africa eh? by TubeSteak · · Score: 5, Funny

    I predict that, as Africa industrializes, the level of pollution will increase & these catfish will mutate into giant man-eating catfish.

    Also, there will be no worshiping of Catfish Over Lords. They cannot understand you. Prostrating yourself beneath them will merely make their task easier.

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  2. *Shock* *Disbelief* by Yst · · Score: 5, Funny

    Did Slashdot just report on a topic in evolutionary biology without using the phrase "missing link" to describe a theorised stage in development? Isn't there a rule against this or something?

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    Karma: Chameleon (comes and goes)
  3. Just as God intended by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Of course fish can jump out of water. How else could they get into Noah's Ark?

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    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:Just as God intended by Hannah+E.+Davis · · Score: 4, Funny

      In the firm grip of one of His Noodly Appendages?

    2. Re:Just as God intended by CRCulver · · Score: 3, Funny

      I knew that it would only be a few minutes before the appearance of a Flying Spaghetti Monster joke. But I fear that now that there's a mass-market book on the FSM, the humour will soon seem passé to the Slashdot crowd, used to more obscure and nerdy chuckles.

    3. Re:Just as God intended by Malor · · Score: 3, Funny

      Phew, good thing there was room. It would have been awful if all the fish drowned.

  4. Cross dressing by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fish hunting on land and mammals turning into ocean swimmers? The world is going mad, I'll tell ya, mad!

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    Table-ized A.I.
  5. Getting in would be the easy part by Yst · · Score: 3, Funny

    What with the world flooding and all, they'd have a clear enough route to the boat. The tricky part would be getting back down off Mount Ararat. As far as those creatures of the sea go, you just try to explain to the dolphins that you've saved them from the perils of the flooding sea by landing them on top of a mountain in the middle of the desert. See how they like them apples.

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    Karma: Chameleon (comes and goes)
  6. Paging General O'Neill by zephc · · Score: 3, Funny

    It kinda looks like a Goa'uld

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  7. clearly satan's work by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    shame on you slashdot. satan deposits funny bones in rocks and creates demonic catfish to lead you astray of the lord. you people consider yourselves so smart, and yet you fall so easily for satan's tricks

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  8. Re:yes, but by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 3, Funny

    with a mantle orgasm the earth is really going to move

    "Mommy, where do earthquakes come from?"

    "Well, when two tectonic plates love each other very much...."

    "Quiet Woman!! That's Just A Theory!! Son, it's time you learned all about Intelligent Drift."

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    May the Maths Be with you!