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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."

9 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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  3. direct link by blhack · · Score: 5, Informative

    Direct link to video:

    Link

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  4. 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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    1. Re:Just as God intended by Hannah+E.+Davis · · Score: 4, Funny

      In the firm grip of one of His Noodly Appendages?

  5. 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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  6. Re:Let's see... by nwbvt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I would say going onto land to hunt insects (as opposed to merely hunting insects from the water or merely going on land) makes this interesting. No, its not a halt the presses type of news, but that doesn't keep it from being an interesting article.

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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. Apparently there's a German catfish that hunts dog by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting
    German catfish eats a dog: "I couldn't believe my eyes. I heard the old woman screaming, she kept saying, 'My dog, my dog,' and pointing wildly at the water."

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