Catfish Fights for Its Life Inside Pelican's Throat Before Being Swallowed
#birds
These two pelicans got lucky when they found some fish stranded in the shallows; despite there being so many fish, they still fought over them!
Michael Laubscher, a guide for Wild Eye, captured this incredible footage in Kenya while on safari. Michael shared the footage and his story with LatestSightings.com.
After having stopped at a huge pan of water for some time, the group had no luck with any big mammals, but they were entertained by an array of water birds. The birds were wading in the shallows and searching for anything to eat when, all of a sudden, they all scattered and moved off for a moment.
Looking around for what caused the change in behaviour, the group noticed two very big birds landing and making their way to the shallows of the pool of water. Michael, the guide, identified the two birds as pelicans!
The two pelicans began sifting in the shallows when they found sharp-toothed catfish (Barbel). It was easy pickings, and the huge bird picked it up with ease. Scooping the helpless fish into its bill and then shifting it into its gular pouch.
This pouch on a pelican has many uses, from acting as a fishing net to serving as a storage bag for transporting fish to its babies, and even on hot days as a means of cooling the bird down.
Despite the pelican pouch being able to hold up to 11 litres of water. The fish that it had just caught was still proving to be too big! The pelican suffered as it tried to place the fish in such a manner that it would easily slide down its throat and into its hungry belly.
All this time, the other pelican was watching this and thought that instead of catching its own fish, maybe it could sneak in and steal one that’s already caught. But the first pelican was not going to give up without a fight. So, it moved off again and tried to swallow the fish quickly before the second pelican could steal it.
However, this fish was just so slimy and big that it kept slipping and moving in the pelican pouch, making it nearly impossible to swallow. Every time the pelican would get it lined up, the fish would squiggle and slide out of place.
At this point, the pelican had enough; he lifted his body out of the water, making sure to be precise in his movement. He got the big catfish in place and, in one quick gulp, swallowed the fish whole before it could get away or his friend could steal it.
Pelicans mainly eat fish, but they're not picky eaters and will also snack on crustaceans like shrimp and crabs. Pelicans need lots of food to stay healthy, and they're great at finding fish in lakes, rivers, and even oceans.