In Alaska, fish that eat mammals aren’t that uncommon a thing. In the course of their 13-year study, researchers reviewed the stomach contents of numerous fish that had been caught in Alaskan waters.
In Alaska, fish that eat mammals aren’t that uncommon a thing.
In the course of their 13-year study, researchers reviewed the stomach contents of numerous fish that had been caught in Alaskan waters.
They found that every two or three years, shrews seemed to be a popular meal choice among several fish varieties, including rainbow trout and arctic grayling.
Their preference for the small mammals coincided with spikes in the areas’ shew populations.
The researchers pointed out that fish in general are excellent at finding and assessing nutrition prey sources rich in protein.
It seems that they can also develop voracious appetites for it when the opportunity presents.
Last year, a rainbow trout caught at an Alaskan national wildlife refuge was found to have consumed 20 shrews.
The fish itself only measured about 19 inches in length.
It’s guessed that the indulgence was facilitated by the flooding of a riverbank, which made the mouse-sized animals easy to reach.
When the shrew supply is low, rainbow trout get by on a diet of salmon eggs, smaller fish, and insects.
