Eels use tail-first technique to back up digestive tract of fish towards oesophagus before coming out of gills
It sounds like the plot of a horror movie – a predator swallows its prey only for the creature to burst out of its captor’s body. But it seems Japanese eels do just that.In a manoeuvre reminiscent of the fosbury flop high-jump technique, the eels back up the digestive tract of the predator fish towards its oesophagus, poke their tail through its gills, and complete their attempt at freedom by pulling their head free.
The team recorded 32 eels being captured and swallowed by the sleeper fish. Some fully entered the predator’s stomach and were observed circling, apparently looking for a way out.“The predatory fish were not harmed. However, the eels that managed to escape sometimes showed signs of abrasions,” said Hasegawa.
The team says its findings are a first. While previous studies have observed other species of eel dying while attempting to escape from predators’ stomachs, the latest study shows the Japanese eels escaped alive.
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