Sun Moon Lake's 'Bully' Fish Choke to Death While Eating Their Own Kind

In Taiwan's scenic Sun Moon Lake, a peculiar and stark display of nature's ruthlessness is unfolding as authorities combat invasive snakehead fish, dubbed the "lake bullies." During recent electric fishing operations aimed at controlling their population, a surprising behavior was documented: smaller snakeheads were seen consuming their own young.

Photographs shared by local angler "Sun Moon Lake First Class" captured the unsettling scene. Some juvenile snakeheads were found to have attempted to swallow their even smaller counterparts, with a few tragically choking and dying in the process. This "survival of the fittest" scenario highlights the aggressive nature of the species.

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Snakeheads naturally eat their own kind, especially when populations grow and habitats overlap, leading different groups of snakehead balls to hunt each other. It is normal for big fish to eat small fish.

Local fishermen explained that such cannibalistic behavior is not uncommon among snakeheads, particularly when their numbers increase and they compete for territory. The larger fish preying on the young is a natural phenomenon within the species. The instances of choking are believed to occur when the captured fish are temporarily held in buckets, leading to stress and opportunistic feeding on smaller, available prey.

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When fish balls are caught and temporarily placed in a bucket, with many fish crowded together, they will try to escape and some will eat young fish. If they swallow a larger one, they might choke and die.