Piscivorous animals: what are, characteristics and examples

The term “Piscivoro” comes from the Latin “Pisces” (fish) and “vorare” (devour), and refers to the Carnivorous animals whose main source of food is based on fish. Piscivorous animals have evolved taking advantage of the abundant resources and diversity of fish populations present in rivers, lakes, streams, oceans and other bodies of water.

It is a classification according to food, so it is a very large group. Know which animals eat fish and their characteristics below, to learn more about this fascinating group adapted to the aquatic environment and the semi -communication environment.

• They make up a subgroup within carnivorous animals since they obtain the necessary energy and nutrients from the meat of other animals. Here you can read about carnivorous animals: examples and names.
• Some species They feed exclusively with fishwhile others also include other types of dams.
• They are found in different taxonomic groups such as Birds, mammals, reptiles and fish.
• Have Morphological and physiological adaptations that allow them capture and consume fishsuch as: long legs, claws and sharp teeth, elongated snouts, flat head, large eyes, large peak or underlying bag. Here you can read about biological adaptation: what is, types and examples.
• Employ different hunting strategies To obtain your food, such as looking from the heights, waiting near the surface of the water watching carefully, dive or dive into the water or chase your prey quickly.
• They perform a fundamental role in aquatic ecosystems since They regulate fish populations and maintain ecological stability.
• Some piscivorous animals They are threatened For the loss of habitat, water pollution, overfishing, damage and poaching.

The brave palometa (Serrasalmus maculatus) It is a freshwater fish of compressed body and iridescent gray with the yellow belly, which is distributed in the basins of the Amazon and Paraná, Paraguay, Uruguay and Río de la Plata rivers.

His powerful jaws provided with triangular and sharp teeth As a razor leaf they allow you to feed on fish, with a great preference for its fins (pterigiophagic). Many times they can complement their diet with crustaceans and insect larvae.

THE GAVIAL (GANGETICUS GAVIALIS) is a reptile belonging to the Crocodile order that lives in systems of fresh water in India. The largest population is located in the Chambal National Sanctuary, a protected area in northern India.

The seast is characterized by its narrow and long snout with a greater number of teeth than other species of crocodilesmore or less similar in the upper and lower jaws. This type of snout arises as an adaptation to its piscivorous diet.

According to IUCN, this species is found in critical danger of extinction Due to the construction of dams that modify water flows, illegal hunting, overfishing of fish that are its main food, among other threats.

Here you can discover the difference between crocodile, caimán, caimán and gavial.

The American white pelican (Pelecanus Erythrorhyncos) is a kind of Large aquatic bird that lives in bodies of fresh or salty water In North America, migrating to the south in winter. Unlike other pelicans, do not dive into the water to get their food, but cooperatively with other individuals surrounding fish and pushing them towards the surface. To capture them, immerse the beak in the water and extract them by placing them inside their Gular bag, a flexible skin bag that expands. Did you know that each Pelican can eat between 1.5 to 2 kg of fish per day?

We recommend reading this other post about aquatic birds: characteristics, types and names.

The Martin Giant fisherman (Megaceryle Torquata) it’s a American bird which is distributed from southern Texas to Tierra del Fuego. It is usually observed near rivers, streams, lakes, lagoons and other bodies of water with coastal vegetation in urban or suburban areas. Presents a thick, long and pointed beak with which it feeds mainly of fish. To hunt he dive into the water from the branches of the vegetation, but when the water is murky, he must opt ​​for other dams, since the fish would be less detectable and/or they would have greater opportunities to escape.

The fisherman bat (Leporinus noctil) is an inhabitant of Wet forests from Mexico to northern Argentina that It feeds mainly of fresh or brackish water fishalthough sometimes it can consume other vertebrates or insects. These bats have notable anatomical adaptations, such as elongated legs, sharp, curved and long grenches and specialized beefons (food bags). During the dark they leave their caves in search of food and They hunt the water capturing dams with their sharp claws or even with its interfemoraal membranes.

In this other post you can read about the characteristics of bats.

The dolphins are Marine mammals belonging to the order of The cetaceans that They feed mainly with fish. Their echolocation systems allow them to guide and locate their prey in the water and their fusiform bodies, swim quickly.

The dolphins present various hunting techniques: When they hunt in a group they pounce on the fish and begin to turn in circles maintaining amazing coordination until the group around it will narrow, then establishing food shifts. Some dolphins corner their prey on the banks and take advantage of the waves to capture them. Other species create mud clouds with their tails and corner the fish in a circle that is narrowed. The fish, scared, try to escape and end up falling into the jaws of the dolphins.

In these other articles you can learn more about what the dolphins eat and where they live and the characteristics of the dolphins.

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