A Rusty Crayfish in a defensive postureAbstract
Observations of pack, communal, or social hunting in fishes are rare. While scuba diving in Star Lake, Vilas County, WI, we observed a school of Ambloplites rupestris (Rock Bass) exhibiting pack hunting of invasive Faxonious rusticus (Rusty Crayfish). Individual Rock Bass approached a Rusty Crayfish from the anterior to elicit a defensive posture while others attacked it from behind, or an individual attempted to remove chelae while another consumed the incapacitated Rusty Crayfish. To our knowledge, these behaviors are the first observations of pack hunting in a North American freshwater fish and may highlight the influence of aquatic invasive species on adaptations in foraging behaviors of native fish to capitalize on novel prey resources.
Quinnlan Smith
PhD Candidate - Freshwater and Marine Sciences
My research interests include fisheries ecology, conservation, and management.