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First Recorded Observation of Freshwater Fish Preying On Birds In Flight

Posted by Soulskill on from the om-nom-nom dept.

ananyo writes "The waters of the African lake seem calm and peaceful. A few migrant swallows flit near the surface. Suddenly, leaping from the water, a fish grabs one of the famously speedy birds straight out of the air. 'The whole action of jumping and catching the swallow in flight happens so incredibly quickly that after we first saw it, it took all of us a while to really fully comprehend what we had just seen,' says Nico Smit, director of the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. After the images did sink in, he adds, 'the first reaction was one of pure joy, because we realized that we were spectators to something really incredible and unique.' 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 this is the first confirmed record of a freshwater fish preying on birds in flight, the team reports in the Journal of Fish Biology (PDF)."

8 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Fly fishing? by tomhath · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've been using the wrong bait all these years.

  2. unladen swallows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    perhaps if the swallow had been unladen, it would have escaped

    1. Re:unladen swallows by gman003 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I will note that while TFA does identify the species of the bird (Hirundo Rustica), it does not clarify whether this was Hirundo Rustica Rustica, the European Swallow, or Hirundo Rustica Savignii, the non-migratory Egyptian Swallow.

      I feel this is crucial information to neglect.

    2. Re:unladen swallows by ericloewe · · Score: 5, Funny

      Do not worry. Those in charge of sacking those in charge of writing the article have been sacked and thrown into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

      If you wish, an alternate article is available, done at great expense by a mid-90s web designer, which is backed by a soothing mexican tune.

  3. African or European? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    A King has to know these things

  4. Re:stupid western biologists. by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Funny

    According to the local fisherman, several 747s and at least one Russian space capsule have been swallowed whole by jumping fish. At 20,000 feet. In a blizzard. Uphill both ways.

  5. But what we really want to know by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 4, Funny

    Was the swallow carrying a coconut?

    --
    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  6. Re:Theory confirmed! by AJH16 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Though, seeing as it was an African swallow, wouldn't a Monty Python reference be more fitting?

    --
    AJ Henderson