The tiger fish (Hydrocynus vittatus), also called the Goliath fish, is a protected species from Africa that lives in fresh waters and is characterized by its large size and splendid hunting skills.
The local name for tiger fish is "mbenga". Among its most outstanding characteristics are its large and long teeth, which can measure about three centimeters, and are extremely sharp.
The tiger fish bears some resemblance to the piranha, although it is much longer and larger. This morphological characteristic means that the Goliath fish can choose from a wide range of prey.
It is a carnivore that is capable of hunting small and large fish, and even other species such as birds and small crocodiles.
The tiger fish is not an endangered species; however, it is a protected species given the long time it takes to double its population.
It has been called tiger fish for different reasons: physically it has spots on its back, and it has large and thick teeth. In addition, it is considered a great predator, that is, it is capable of annihilating representatives of other species.
It is also extremely fast and is even capable of identifying the location of its prey only through the small vibrations that they emit.
Habitat and distribution
The tiger fish lives in the fresh waters of Africa. It has been specifically seen in the Congo River, Lake Tanganyika, the Lualaba River, and Lake Upemba.
When hunting, tiger fish can be found near surfaces, or in rough areas of the waters where they can feed on fish that are vulnerable in those environments.
Since tigerfish are quite strong, they can hunt in these busy environments with ease. When they go to rest, the tiger fish go into the deep waters.
Morphology
Tiger fish can be of various sizes. The smallest is around 30 centimeters and the largest can be almost two meters in length.
In terms of weight, specimens of the Goliath fish have been found weighing about 60 kilos, making it a large and powerful animal.
The back of the tiger fish has olive-colored spots and the back is characterized by being silver in color. Their fins are red and some species also have dark stripes on their back.
It has 32 teeth. This is one of its most peculiar characteristics, since they are quite large teeth: each one can measure more than two centimeters.
They are long and quite sharp teeth, and they are visible, since the tiger fish has practically no lips; the teeth are located on the edge of the jaw.
Tiger fish are also characterized by having very good eyesight, a peculiarity that makes them even better hunters.
In addition, it has been identified that these fish are capable of feeling the vibrations emitted by their prey, even if they are very slight. This allows them to be ready to hunt their prey even when they are not very close.
In this video you can see the fishing of a specimen of this species:
Feeding
Studies have shown that the tiger fish is characterized by hunting other fish, and it does so especially at the beginning and end of the day.
However, given its strength and speed, it is an exceptional hunter that has integrated other specimens into its diet. One of the least expected prey is crocodiles. Tiger fish have been seen approaching small crocodiles and attacking them.
It is also characterized by hunting large species of fish, such as catfish, whose size can vary between 4 centimeters and 5 meters in length.
The tiger fish is so powerful that it is capable of destroying a fish the size of a catfish; there have been records of catfish being cut in half by tigerfish.
One of the tiger fish's prey, unknown until relatively recently, is birds. Tigerfish were found to be able to hunt birds while they are flying. It was observed hunting swallows as they flew over the surface of the water.
This moment was recorded audiovisual, and was the key clue to determine that the tiger fish also feed on birds.
There are reports that humans have been attacked by tiger fish. Given the size, strength and speed of this carnivore, men could be part of its prey.
Behavior
The tiger fish is an impressive hunter. Despite its large size, it moves very quickly when hunting.
As seen above, it is able to go to the surface through jumps. These jumps also help you hunt other species, such as birds, when you find them flying near the surface of the water.
This behavior was an interesting discovery. The fact that certain birds that flew over the lakes of Africa regularly disappeared could be attributed to the tiger fish; however, there was no definitive proof of this until it was seen hunting swallows.
In fact, the audiovisual record made of this event corresponds to the first time that a freshwater fish is recorded in a process of capturing birds that fly over the water.
The tiger fish is considered an insatiable and accurate predator, which is highly successful in hunting both small and fairly large prey.
Part of their behavior when hunting fish includes circling the victim several times before confronting and annihilating them.
Few years living?
There is no concrete data that indicates how many years a tiger fish usually lives. However, it has been observed that they can live between 10 and 15 years when they are in captivity.
This is a protected species in Africa. It has been determined that a population of tiger fish can take between 5 and 14 years to double; therefore, fishermen are asked to return tigerfish specimens that they catch into the water.
References
- Davies, E. “The tiger fish hunts swallows in flight” (13 January 2014) on BBC. Retrieved on September 13, 2017 from BBC: bbc.com
- “The Goliath Tiger Fish” in La Reserva. Retrieved on September 13, 2017 from La Reserva: lareserva.com
- "Tigerfish" in Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on September 13, 2017 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com
- "Goliath Tigerfish" on Animal Planet. Retrieved on September 13, 2017 from Animal Planet: animalplanet.com
- James, R. “Stand back, he bites: British fisherman grapples with ferocious 'giant piranha'… which has been known to eat crocodiles” (October 21, 2010) in Mail Online. Retrieved on September 13, 2017 from Mail Online: dailymail.co.uk
- Wade, J. "Goliath Tigerfish" in Animal Planet. Retrieved on September 13, 2017 from Animal Planet: animalplanet.com
- "Catfish" in Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on September 13, 2017 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com.