There is a group of catfish that have discovered they have more in common with kitty cats than just whiskers. They also like to chase and eat birds. Even if it means they have to wriggle up on dry land to do so. Watch — it’s incredible:
Ed Yong explains at Discover Magazine:
As the River Tarn winds through the city of Albi, it contains a small gravel island where pigeons gather to clean and bathe. And patrolling the island are European catfish — 1 to 1.5 meters long, and the largest freshwater fish on the continent. These particular catfish have taken to lunging out of the water, grabbing a pigeon, and then wriggling back into the water to swallow their prey. In the process, they temporarily strand themselves on land for a few seconds.
It’s not really clear why the fish are doing this, other than that they live in France, where it’s considered good taste to eat pigeons. Not all the catfish are pigeon-eaters; perhaps it’s only those with the finest of palates. And we’re quite certain those fish are going around telling all the other fish not only that pigeons are a delicacy one must taste to appreciate the tender richness of the meat but that you’re really meant to call them squab.
