Sailfish Are Master Hunters | Planet Earth | BBC Earth

Sailfish, three metres long, are closing in on prey. They will only use just enough energy to make their kill... never wasting a fin stroke. Nearly 100 sailfish have surrounded a single school of bait fish. It's very rare to see so many of these hunters in one place. To herd their prey, the predators raise their huge dorsal fins. A mistimed strike by one sailfish could fatally damage another. But each continually changes its colour from blue to striped to black. That warns its companions of its intentions and also confuses the prey. As the shoal is driven nearer the surface, it comes within the range of the seabirds. Out here in the open ocean, there is nowhere for the bait fish to hide. Sailfish live a high-octane life. To survive, they must find prey daily. So, their entire existence will be spent on the move.

Channel: BBC Earth

Views: 4,512,875

Keywords: bbc sailfish, sailfish hunting, sailfish bbc, sail fish, Sailfish, hunting strategy, Sailfish Are Master Hunters, David Attenborough, bbc planet earth, bbc earth, Planet Earth, bbc

Id: pRyFGSTaQ_Y

Length: 3min 1sec (181 seconds)

Published: Wed May 17 2017