Death From Above

The waters off the coast of Australia are a dangerous place for small fish at the best of times. With the Great Barrier Reef nearby, there’s no shortage of predators around ready to turn an unwary fish into a quick snack. But now it seems that even being constantly vigilant isn’t enough, as death can come not just from the waters around and below you, but from the air too.

Scientists in Queensland, Australia have recently observed Needlefish shooting out of the water to plunge directly into submerged schools of unsuspecting prey from above. Needlefish live and feed close to the surface and are noted for leaping out of the water at speeds of up to 65 kilometres an hour to escape predators such as dolphins. The acrobatic fish have even been known to injure unfortunate humans as they streak through the air like sleek, silvery projectiles.

Now it seems they can employ their aerial abilities to hunt smaller fish with a deadly dive-bomb from above, and the scientists have discovered that the tactic actually extends the Needlefish’s attack range from a mere 50cm to over 2 metres, making it much tougher for prey to escape.

Many species of fish are known to leap from the water, and African tigerfish have even been spotted leaping to snatch flying birds from the air, but this is the first time that the behaviour has ever been observed as part of a deliberate hunting tactic to attack submerged prey.