How sailfish use their bills to capture schooling prey

Domenici, P. (author)

Wilson, A. D. M. (author)

Kurvers, R. H. J. M. (author)

Marras, S. (author)

Herbert-Read, James E. (author): Uppsala universitet,Matematiska institutionen,Zooekologi

Steffensen, J. F. (author)

Krause, S. (author)

Viblanc, P. E. (author)

Couillaud, P. (author)

Krause, J. (author)

(creator_code:org_t)

2014-06-07
2014
English.
In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 281:1784, s. 20140444-

Related links:: https://royalsociety...; show more...; https://urn.kb.se/re...; https://doi.org/10.1...; show less...

Abstract Subject headings

The istiophorid family of billfishes is characterized by an extended rostrum or 'bill'. While various functions (e.g. foraging and hydrodynamic benefits) have been proposed for this structure, until now no study has directly investigated the mechanisms by which billfishes use their rostrum to feed on prey. Here, we present the first unequivocal evidence of how the bill is used by Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) to attack schooling sardines in the open ocean. Using high-speed video-analysis, we show that (i) sailfish manage to insert their bill into sardine schools without eliciting an evasive response and (ii) subsequently use their bill to either tap on individual prey targets or to slash through the school with powerful lateral motions characterized by one of the highest accelerations ever recorded in an aquatic vertebrate. Our results demonstrate that the combination of stealth and rapid motion make the sailfish bill an extremely effective feeding adaptation for capturing schooling prey.

By the author/editor: Domenici, P.; Wilson, A. D. M.; Kurvers, R. H. J ...; Marras, S.; Herbert-Read, Ja ...; Steffensen, J. F ...; show more...; Krause, S.; Viblanc, P. E.; Couillaud, P.; Krause, J.; show less...

About the subject

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