Mass fish climb rocks in Brazil
Environmental police officers in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul witnessed an unusual phenomenon at one of the waterfalls.
In a river in southern Brazil, thousands of bumblebee catfish gathered at the foot of a waterfall and began to climb up the rocks.
The unique phenomenon was noticed by environmental police officers in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and they called scientists. The researchers observed the fish migration for 20 hours, recording how orange-and-black bumblebee catfish of the species Rhyacoglanis paranensis overcome almost vertical sections of the waterfall.
“This is the first documented evidence of mass aggregation and climbing of waterfalls for this species,” Manuela Morinho and her colleagues said in their article. The fish arranged a migration upstream for spawning.
The scientists noted that the migrations of small fish often go unnoticed due to their short duration and specific conditions. The video shows the fish literally storming steep areas, climbing over each other and demonstrating amazing rock-climbing skills.
The discovery was made by a team of Brazilian ichthyologists, highlighting the value of field observations for studying the ecology of South American species. The state of Mato Grosso do Sul borders Bolivia and Paraguay, and its river systems remain poorly explored.
