Category Environtal Studies

A muskellunge can be recognized by the elongated body and the absence of scales on the lower part of the cheeks and gill covers. It usually waits around for the prey and at an opportune moment, it swiftly bites the prey and then swallows it head first. Clearly, it is an ambush predator.

The muskellunge is a solitary fresh-water fish usually found in the North American Great Lakes region. Largest of the pikes, the muskellunge averages about 9 kg in weight, but may be 1.8 m long and weigh up to 36 kg or more. It eats all varieties of fish present in its ecosystem including other muskellunge. It is capable of taking prey up to two-thirds of its body length, thanks to its large stomach.

The muskellunge populations are highly vulnerable. Their low reproductive rate and slow growth make them all the more susceptible to overfishing. Therefore, some artificial propagation projects are under way to maintain the numbers.

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Pufferfish have highly elastic stomachs and can quickly ingest huge amounts of water to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball, several times their normal size.

Many scientists are of the opinion that these fish developed inflatability as a result of their slow, somewhat clumsy swimming style that makes them vulnerable to predators. They have tough, usually prickly skins and fused teeth that form a beaklike structure with a split in the centre of each jaw. Some species also have spines on their skin to make them even less palatable. Though they are considered small, some of them grow to a size of 90 centimeters.

Puffers are found in warm and temperate regions around the world, primarily in the sea but also, in some instances, in brackish or fresh water. Their diet includes snails, worms, and other crustaceans. Pufferfish are also known as blowfish.

The blue marlin is one of the fastest and strongest predators of the open ocean. It is also one of the most sought-after game fish in the world. Distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the blue marlin spends most of its life far out at sea. It is one of the largest bony fish; it grows up to a size of 5 meters and weighs around 820 kilograms. It has a long bill that grows out of its head which is used to stun the prey by slashing on its head. This action knocks the prey unconscious.

Blue marlins prey on a wide variety of marine organisms, mostly near the surface including mackerel and tuna. Many parasites live on them. Once a blue marlin grows and matures, only very few predators like the great white shark, prey on them.

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Found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide, barracudas are muscular fish with streamlined, torpedo-shaped bodies. Undoubtedly, they have a fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. They are opportunistic predators that launch surprise attacks.

Barracudas are attracted to shiny objects, like the silvery fish they prey on. Humans that enter the water with glittering objects, such as watches and jewellery, may cause curious barracudas to investigate and mistake these objects for a food source.

Divers with shiny objects are reported to have been attacked by barracudas. As a precaution, divers are usually advised to remove shiny objects before entering the waters.

Barracudas feed on fish such as jacks, grunts, groupers, snappers, small tunas, mullets, killifishes, herrings, and anchovies by simply biting them in half. They kill and consume larger prey by tearing chunks of flesh.

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For centuries, travellers to South America have brought back some gruesome stories about fish with teeth that can strip the flesh of any animal foolish enough to try to cross the rivers that are their home. These stories were about piranhas, freshwater fish with razor-sharp teeth. In fact, the term piranha in a Brazilian language means ‘tooth fish’.

Most of the piranhas are sized between 12 and 35 centimeters. The red-bellied piranha is the largest among the lot and it grows to a size of half a meter!

Piranhas hunt in groups of more than a hundred members. Several groups can converge in a feeding frenzy if a large animal is attacked, although this is rare. Piranhas have excellent hearing capability. When a piranha locates the prey, signals are sent to the group acoustically. Everyone in the group rushes in to take a bite and then swims away to make way for the others.

The angler fish lives in one of the most uninhabitable habitats in the world- the lightless bottom of the sea. Living at depths of at least 2000m this species lives its life in the complete absence of sunlight. Some of them live in the sea floor while others live close to the sea floor.

The angler fish won’t impress you with good looks. For many species of angler fish, the males are much smaller than females. The females have a piece of dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths like a fishing pole. In fact, they get their name because of this feature.

The tips of the spine have luminous flesh that attracts prey. Using a muscular skin flap, a deep-sea anglerfish can either hide or reveal its lighted lure. By pulsing the light and moving the lure back and forth, they successfully attract crustaceans, fishes, and other prey. Their bodies are flexible and mouths so big that they can swallow prey that is thrice their size.