Researchers in Europe have captured on video something that this
writer concluded long ago: nature is not only surprising and
miraculous, but also sometimes very nasty. It was on the River
Tarn in southwestern France where scientists studied the
European catfish known as the Wels catfish, and by its
scientific name of Siluris glanis. It was there that they
witnessed what some are calling evidence of adaptive behavior
among fish that can reach as much as 320 pounds in weight and
over 9 feet in length. There are legends that in the 1800s,
specimens of over 13 feet in length were caught in Europe. But I
digress. What scientists recorded on video and reported in the
online Plos One scientific journal was that these catfish have
beached themselves on river banks to hunt live pigeons. Yes, you
read that right. The researchers saw specimens of S. glanis
lunging out of the water to grab a pigeon with their gaping
mouths and swallow their hapless and fluttering prey. In doing
so, they manage to temporarily strand them