In the Tarn River, in the French town of Albi, pigeons gather to wash off dirt and dust. But as the oils from their feathers wash downstream, a huge predator senses the birds. They feel their way to the pigeons using sensitive whiskers.
Once close enough, the creature lunges out of the water, momentarily stranding itself, then pulls an unsuspecting pigeon into the water and eats it.
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These scenes in southern France aren’t dissimilar to the way killer whales strand themselves to hunt sea lion pups in Argentina, or how bottlenose dolphins drive small fish onto beaches in Southeastern US.
This incredible animal is the Wels catfish, native to eastern Europe. One of the largest freshwater fish found in Europe and Western Asia, it reaches lengths between 1-2 metres.
After introductions into rivers by anglers, it has since spread into waterways across western and southern Europe.
In those waters, they’re considered an invasive species, and as David Attenborough narrates in footage from Planet Earth II, they have “virtually exterminated the local fish stocks.”
But this beaching behaviour hasn’t been recorded in its native habitat – only where the Wels catfish has spread, making this fish a somewhat extreme example of how invasive species can adapt to new environments.
