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Do you know how powerful the hunting skills of grass carp are?
The calf carp, Amia calva, is a ray-finned fish native to North America. This fish has many nicknames, including mudfish, mud bass, pike, bonefish, pigfish, etc. Grass carp are known as "living fossils" because they retain quite a few morphological characteristics of their primitive ancestors. Over time, the carp has become one of the only species of Halecomorphi that survives today, with its close relatives having long since gone extinct during the course of evolution.
When hunting, grass carp have amazing skills. They hunt by ambush and stealth, showing incredible agility.
Carp are commonly found in shallow waters throughout eastern America, including fish farms, lowland rivers, lakes, and swamps. These environments provide abundant cover, allowing carp to use their camouflage coloration to remain concealed. When night falls, grass carp will take advantage of the low light environment and swim into shallow water to concentrate on hunting fish and aquatic invertebrates such as crayfish, mollusks and aquatic insects. Their targets include frogs, perch, and even other carp, and they often set their sights on smaller prey such as moths and aquatic insects.
If you could witness the movements of grass carp in the water, you would be amazed at their speed and precision. Their hunting behavior is swift and decisive, like a hunter lurking in the water waiting for the right opportunity.
The body shape of grass carp is slender, which is suitable for swimming quickly and flexibly in water. It can grow up to 1.09 meters and live up to 33 years. These fish are more hardy than other species of the same type and can survive in different environments, even in water bodies with insufficient oxygen, all because of their special physiological mechanisms. Grass carp is a double-breathing creature. In addition to breathing oxygen in the water through its gills, it can also breathe air through a special air sac, which allows them to survive in environments where other fish find it difficult to survive.
Secrets of the Predator
There is a pair of special sensory organs on the head of the grass carp that can sense tiny vibrations in the water. This enables them to track prey in complete darkness. When hunting at night, carp usually use their fins to move in a very silent manner, avoiding splashing water that could startle potential prey. When the prey comes a little closer, the grass carp will attack quickly, using its strong jaws to bite the prey, making it unable to struggle.
The capture process was completed in just 0.075 seconds, demonstrating the amazing speed and efficiency of the grass carp.
This hunting method has a very high success rate, allowing the grass carp to become a true dominant force in its habitat. Their bright colors and unique shape make them difficult to detect in the water, which is also part of their hunting strategy. This is a potential threat to many aquatic organisms.
Adaptation for survival
During the evolutionary process, the phenomenological characteristics of grass carp show a series of physiological and behavioral adaptations. For example, its strong and flexible jaws are adapted to capture prey of various sizes. Of course, this adaptation also helps them survive better when food is scarce. It is reported that a female grass carp did not eat for 20 months during the observation period, which is the limit of the fish's ability to survive.
“This ability to survive demonstrates the extraordinary adaptability of grass carp over the course of evolution, making them an indispensable part of the ecosystem.”
However, the adaptability of grass carp also faces challenges when facing environmental changes. Human impacts on water bodies, including pollution and water modification, pose a threat to the survival of this species. With habitat loss, grass carp needs more protection measures to maintain its ecological status.
On the whole, the unique hunting skills, tolerance and ecological adaptability of grass carp make them the real leaders in the waters. In the face of an ever-changing environment, do you have the ability to focus and adapt to become a successful survivor?
