Great-billed Heron catching an eel catfish

posted in: Feeding-vertebrates | 1

Mike Tan a.k.a. woof is sharing his image of a Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana) taken in the northern part of Singapore. The heron has just caught an eel catfish (Plotosus anguillaris), handling it carefully as the dorsal and pectoral spines are poisonous. The poison of this catfish can inflict excruciating pain or even death.

The eel catfish is easily recognised from its rippling, continuous fins that run from the dorsal right down to the ventral portion of the fish. This is a tropical marine species that is around 45-90 cm long.

Image by Mike Tan.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.