Amphibious feeding behaviour in Clarias

beng · Post by **beng** » 05 Dec 2004, 19:25

According to fishbase on C. gariepinus, it "Can leave the water at night using its strong pectoral fins and spines in search of land-based food". I was wondering, has anyone here seen such behaviour in Clarias species?

So far the only fishes I have seen that actually leave the water in order to eat land-based food are mudskippers, which spend most of their time out of the water, and swamp eels (Monopterus albus) which do venture out onto moist stream banks on rainy nights to hunt worms etc.

I wonder how such fishes would find food on land as they probably can't see very well in air, and anyway they mainly do it at night. Smell? Or maybe if the ground is wet they can sort of follow a smell/taste trail.

Post by **Silurus** » 05 Dec 2004, 22:14

I have not seen Clarias come out of water to hunt at night and I suspect they have no need to, unless the conditions are very severe.

FWIW, C. gariepinus have been known to hunt in packs in the water.

beng · Post by **beng** » 05 Dec 2004, 22:36

I saw this documentary on TV about an African river and when it flooded the catfish went into flooded fields and woods to feed but that was in the water. When the water receeded, they had to make it back to the main river by crossing some dry land, and most of them made it but one got attacked by ants and died and was eaten by the ants, which goes to show the dangers of being a fish out of water.

beng · Post by **beng** » 12 May 2005, 18:36

In some places the Clarias are reported to prey on birds that drink at the water's edge:

Read the report that begins "Hi Bagman" about a quarter of the way down this page, about the guy fishing for C gariepinus using a dead dove:
http://www.bowfinanglers.com/Incidental.html

According to some pages the catfish leap out of the water and catch birds on low overhanging branches:
http://www.karibahouseboats.com/fishing ... arbel.html

Has anyone ever seen Clarias do anything like this?

natefrog · Post by **natefrog** » 18 May 2005, 09:06

Only trust an anecdote as much as the source. If you have no idea who the source is or their credibility it is best left as just that...an anecdote. That being said...its always possible...Northern Pike will eat anything...literally anything that fits down their throat and often attempt food that is even larger than what is physically possible to eat. This may include baby ducks, small muskrats and children. (Just joking on the last one...maybe).

Sandtiger · Post by **Sandtiger** » 18 May 2005, 14:45

There was an article or something I saw in the newspaper last year about a boy who was attacked by a pike and need a lot of stiches. Here is a story about it...

http://espn.go.com/outdoors/conservatio ... 71347.html

Anyway....about the catfish, I would not be suprised if they went after birds, I know bullfrogs (not fish, I know)will eat birds and small mammals. I always wondered if they ate the occasional earthworm of something while on their travels on rainy nights. They don't seem like a very good land predator.

natefrog · Post by **natefrog** » 19 May 2005, 07:50

On stomach examinations of the Pacific Giant Salamader such food items as mice, garter snakes, and other salamanders...but this is not a fish. My suspision is that someone witha creative imagination has taken the liberty of embelishing a story about Clarius eating at the edge of the water and has extended it to eating on expedition out of the water...just an opinion.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 19 May 2005, 11:13

the Pacific Giant Salamander is a geuine landanimal; unlike for example mudpuppy's and hellbenders.

it's perfectly normal for such a beastie to eat other landanimals.

Dicamptodon tenebrosus; not exactly a fish

Mika · Post by **Mika** » 19 May 2005, 13:42

http://www2.nrm.se/ve/pisces/images/walkcat.mpg

metallhd · Post by **metallhd** » 19 May 2005, 15:51

Sandtiger wrote:There was an article or something I saw in the newspaper last year about a boy who was attacked by a pike and need a lot of stiches. Here is a story about it...
http://espn.go.com/outdoors/conservatio ... 71347.html

As soon as I saw that I thought 'muskie', and per the article that may be so - pike will chase a lure right up to a boat and often hit it just then, and I have had one swim right between my legs once when fishing. They are nasty looking certainly but the muskellunge has a reputation for viciousness, not to mention a larger average size than a pike.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the basketball catfish . . .

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/catchfish.asp

enarem · Post by **enarem** » 19 May 2005, 17:45

beng wrote:According to fishbase on C. gariepinus, it "Can leave the water at night using its strong pectoral fins and spines in search of land-based food". I was wondering, has anyone here seen such behaviour in Clarias species?

The quote in FishBase is attributed to Ref. 6868, which is "Burgess, W.E., 1989. An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes: a preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey."

In that volume it is found on page 139, but with without further reference.

Post by **Silurus** » 24 May 2005, 01:16

The most comprehensive study to date of the feeding ecology and behavior of Clarias is Michael Bruton's study of C. gariepinus. No mention is made at all of feeding out of water.

The study documents in detail four modes of feeding for C. gariepinus (with illustrations):

1. Individual foraging: the catfish swims slowly forward, swaying the head from side to side and with the barbels projected forwards in a cone. When prey is detected, the catfish lunges rapidly and accurately forward.

2. Individual shovelling: in beds of detritus, the catfish shovels the sloping anterior part of the head under the detritus, lifts it up and eats any organisms thus exposed.

3. Surface feeding: there are two modes of surface feeding: perpendicular (practiced by smaller fish) and horizontal. In perpendicular feeding, the body is positioned perpendicular with the barbels spread across the water surface. A strong current of water is drawn into the mouth from the water surface and expelled through the gills. In horizontal feeding, the body is position at about 60Â° to the water surface and food is sucked in. This is accompanied by loud smacking noises as the mouth is opened and closed.
Surface feeding can be done individually, or in a small group, with the fish arranged in a regular formation.

4. Formation feeding: this is performed in shallow water by a tightly-knit group in a rough sickle-shaped formation. The fish swim slowly inshore near the water surface with their mouths open, herding shoals of small cichlids. At a certain water depth, the catfish suddenly close their mouths with a loud noise, open them again and swim forward with the mouth open and partly above water. The sudden movements panic the prey and cause them jump in all directions. The catfish swim steadily inshore, encircling and herding the prey into a dense, panic-stricken mass, which are readily captured by the catfish.

The complete reference, for anyone interested, is:

Bruton, MN, 1979. The food and feeding behaviour of Clarias gariepinus (Pisces: Clariidae) in Lake Sibaya, South Africa, with emphasis on its role as a predator of cichlids. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 35: 47-114.

beng · Post by **beng** » 02 Jun 2005, 16:36

The last method above, formation feeding, is very interestng as it suggests that the fishes somehow communicate and cooperate. I don't usually think of Clarias as social animals.

Amphibious feeding behaviour in Clarias

Amphibious feeding behaviour in Clarias

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