Buzz
It is quite rare for fish to hunt land animals, as creatures of the sea and land typically lack the adaptations needed to survive in each other's environment. However, land animals are more likely to venture into the water to hunt sea creatures.
On occasion, the situation is reversed, with fish coming ashore to capture land animals. For those that don't venture onto land, they have developed unique strategies to catch land-based prey. These fish typically target birds flying above the water or creatures unfortunate enough to stray too close to the shoreline.
10. European Wels Catfish
In the Tarn River of Albi, France, European wels catfish have adapted to seize pigeons near the riverbank. While this behavior has not been observed in other European wels catfish populations, some researchers suggest that these fish may resort to hunting land animals due to a lack of traditional prey in their environment.
However, the reason why only medium-sized catfish, measuring between 1 and 1.5 meters (3.3–4.9 ft) in length, are seen hunting pigeons remains unclear. It is believed that larger catfish are too heavy to swim in the shallow waters along the riverbank, while smaller catfish lack the strength to capture pigeons.
Another hypothesis is that the larger catfish, which can grow up to 3 meters (10 ft) long, have shifted their hunting to deeper parts of the river. As a result, the smaller catfish are left to find alternative food sources, with the medium-sized ones focusing on pigeons. Once caught, the catfish drag the pigeons underwater to consume them.
Research has shown that European wels catfish succeed in capturing pigeons 28 percent of the time. While this figure may seem low, it's important to note that lions, which hunt in groups and target land-based prey, have a success rate of just 18 percent. Thus, the catfish's record is quite impressive given its solitary hunting of a land animal.
9. Archer Fish
In the harshness of the wild, both predators and prey will go to great lengths to ensure their survival. For unsuspecting flying creatures like insects, some predators will catch them mid-flight, while others stalk them on land. Tree branches hanging over water might seem like a safe haven for these insects, but this is not always the case. In fact, it can sometimes be even more perilous than flying over land or water.
The archer fish is an unlikely predator that hunts from below. This fish has adapted to capture insects that hang from tree branches above the water. Rather than leaping to snatch its prey, the archer fish shoots a stream of water to knock the insect down.
The water stream does not hit the target in one smooth motion. Instead, the water at the end of the stream moves faster than the liquid at the front. This allows the stream to strike the insect all at once, causing it to fall into the water where the fish quickly snatches it up.
8. Killer Whale
Killer whales (also known as orcas) are apex predators with a wide range of prey. They are known to hunt and consume almost anything they encounter, from seals and seabirds to octopuses, turtles, sharks, and even other whales.
Despite their aquatic lifestyle, orcas are not classified as fish. They belong to the mammal family and are actually part of the dolphin family. However, their impressive hunting behavior warrants their inclusion on this list.
Orcas don’t limit their diet to just sea creatures. They will actively target birds flying above the water or land animals wandering along the coastline.
Killer whales are also known to prey on large land animals such as moose and deer that attempt to cross into the water. While no one has yet captured this behavior on film, there are numerous reports of orcas attacking, killing, and eating deer and moose near Alaska's coastline.
7. Silver Arowana
The silver arowana is an aggressive predator native to the waters of South America. This fish is known for its incredible ability to leap out of the water and catch birds, insects, and snakes from tree branches. The strike is so swift that the prey is in the fish's mouth before it even has a chance to react. Silver arowanas can grow up to 1 meter (3.3 ft) long and can leap as high as 2 meters (6.6 ft) out of the water.
In South America, locals refer to the silver arowana as 'water monkeys' due to this impressive ability. While they do consume fish, they prefer land animals and have been observed feeding on spiders, beetles, small birds, and even snakes.
Silver arowanas are so adapted to hunting prey above the water's surface that they can develop a condition known as 'drop eye' when kept in aquariums. This causes one or both eyes to look downward, preventing them from looking upward again.
This condition often occurs when owners feed the fish food that sinks to the bottom of the aquarium. It is also common when live fish, particularly those that swim below the silver arowanas, are given as food.
6. Tiger Shark
Many birds migrate vast distances across the sea to breed. However, this journey can sometimes lead them astray, as they occasionally lose their way. Unlike humans, these birds cannot stop to ask for directions.
As a result, they continue to fly until exhaustion takes over, causing them to fall from the sky. It seems that tiger sharks in the Gulf of Mexico have learned to capitalize on these disoriented birds, using their confusion to satisfy their hunger.
Previously, it was believed that tiger sharks only fed on marine animals and waterbirds. However, in 2009, researcher Marcus Drymon from Dauphin Island Sea Lab debunked this idea. After catching a tiger shark off Alabama, he was surprised when the shark coughed up feathers.
The feathers did not belong to a waterbird, which piqued his curiosity. This led to further investigation, including the dissection of 50 more tiger sharks, which confirmed the unexpected feeding habits.
The stomachs of approximately 25 tiger sharks contained remnants such as beaks, feathers, and feet from land birds like tanagers, woodpeckers, and meadowlarks. Further research revealed that the bright lights from offshore oil rigs were confusing migratory birds, causing them to veer off course and fall into the water, where they ultimately became prey to the waiting tiger sharks.
5. Eel Catfish
The eel catfish has developed the unique ability to leave the water to hunt on land. While its diet primarily consists of marine creatures, it also enjoys hunting beetles, which it will leave the water to catch. This behavior benefits the eel catfish since the beetles won’t voluntarily come to the water.
When the eel catfish spots a beetle, it exits the water and slithers across the land. Once it reaches the beetle, the fish raises the front of its body, lowers its head towards the bug, and grabs it with its jaw. The catfish then returns to the water to feast on its catch.
The eel catfish is able to perform this incredible feat thanks to its spine, which has evolved to bend in a way that allows it to easily capture the beetle.
4. Mudskipper
The mudskipper’s name is no accident. This fish leaves the water and ‘skips’ across the mud, moving in an extraordinary way. It has adapted so well to hunting insects, worms, and even smaller mudskippers on land that it has better vision on land than in the water. In fact, mudskippers can drown if they stay in the water for too long. Some species can even travel long distances away from the water, though they prefer moist, swampy areas.
Beyond feeding, mudskippers also engage in various fish-related activities on land, including mating and marking territory, often through fights. They are able to move between land and water thanks to their unique ability to breathe both through their gills while underwater and through their skin, mouth, and throat linings when on land.
3. Rainbow Trout
The rainbow trout is a vibrant freshwater fish, known for its distinct black spots. It is famous for its high leaps and its fierce resistance when caught. With a varied diet, this fish is willing to hunt anything from insects to small fish and even land mammals.
It wasn't until 2013 that we learned just how much the rainbow trout preys on small land mammals. A researcher discovered a rainbow trout with 20 shrews in its stomach. Further studies revealed that rainbow trout also feed on voles, mice, and other small mammals when these creatures are abundant around the water. Typically, the trout focus on small mammals during their breeding seasons when they are more plentiful.
While researchers remain uncertain about how rainbow trout catch these land mammals, it is believed they snatch them from the riverbanks when they wander too close to the water. Shrews, for instance, often wander near rivers or even enter the water to hunt insects, making them easy targets for the trout. Though not strong swimmers, shrews sometimes attempt to cross shallow streams, further increasing their vulnerability to the trout's predation.
2. Snakehead Fish
The snakehead fish is known for its ability to hunt on land. Originally native to Asia, it has mysteriously become an invasive species in American rivers. Snakeheads were once legally imported to the U.S. for food and as pets, leading to the possibility that someone may have released them into the wild. The Potomac River alone is home to more than 21,000 of these fish.
Snakehead fish have been seen leaving the water to hunt on land. In Australia, they have been observed preying on waterbirds, rodents, and even snakes. The fish slither through land to capture their prey, which they consume in a single gulp.
1. African Tigerfish
Unlike the silver arowana, which targets insects and birds perched on tree branches above the water, the African tigerfish focuses specifically on hunting barn swallows that dart swiftly across the water. Thanks to its sleek 1-meter-long (3.3 ft) body and sharp, fang-like teeth, the tigerfish is uniquely capable of this type of hunting. It remains the only freshwater fish known to engage in such behavior.
The tigerfish uses different strategies to hunt the birds. One method involves chasing the bird from the water’s surface before leaping out to snatch it. Another tactic is lying in wait below the surface and then leaping out when the bird flies past.
Although reports from as early as 1940 described the tigerfish's unusual hunting technique, it wasn't until recently that this behavior was confirmed. A team of researchers from North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa, observed a tigerfish leaping from the water to capture a barn swallow in Mapungubwe National Park.
The research team was studying the tigerfish's habitat and migration routes when they witnessed the fish’s leap to catch a bird. The event was so rapid that they initially didn't realize what had just occurred.
