Brief Communications
Nature 440, 881 (13 April 2006) | doi:10.1038/440881a; Published online 12 April 2006
Evolution: A catfish that can strike its prey on land
Sam Van Wassenbergh1, Anthony Herrel1, Dominique Adriaens2, Frank Huysentruyt2, Stijn Devaere2 and Peter Aerts1,3
An important step towards understanding the evolution of terrestriality in vertebrates is to identify how the aquatic ancestors of tetrapods were able to access ground-based prey. We have discovered that the 'eel catfish' Channallabes apus, an inhabitant of the muddy swamps of tropical Africa, has a remarkable ability to forage and capture prey on land. The animal's capacity to bend its head down towards the ground while feeding seems to be an essential feature that may have enabled fish to make the transition from an aquatic to a terrestrial mode.
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Correspondence to: Sam Van Wassenbergh1 Email: sam.vanwassenbergh@ua.ac.be
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