This fish was just the luckiest, as it escaped the beak of a bird and the teeth of a lizard all in a matter of seconds!
Adele Sneyd, the owner of Aeternum Creations and a wildlife photographer, captured this incredible survival story while on safari in the Kruger National Park and shared it with LatestSightings.com.
“The S50, a tranquil dirt road in the north of the park, is my secret gem for special wildlife sightings. On this particular rainy morning, I was driving towards Nyawutsi Hide. The frogs were croaking, and the coolness of the rain just gave the drive a calm feel. I casually drove along the gravel without expecting too much; little did I know a real treat was waiting for me ahead.”
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“I had just arrived at the Nyawutsi waterhole when my luck changed. The scene began when a striated heron, a bird of patience, made its grand entrance from across the river. Positioning itself expertly, it began fishing from the rocky water’s edge. Despite several attempts, the heron’s beak came up empty each time. But persistence is key in the wild, right? So, the heron did not give up! Meanwhile, a sneaky water monitor appeared from the reeds, stealthily descending the rocky surface with an eye on the bird.”
“And then, out of nowhere, a sizable Tilapia, which is a type of fish, perhaps trying to escape the jaws of a croc that was trying to catch it from under, jumped onto the rocky bank, landing right in the middle of the lizard and the bird. The heron, seizing the moment, dived towards it. But wait, our water monitor wasn’t just a silent observer! Leaping with surprising speed, it aimed for the Tilapia, turning the scene into a split-second tug of war!”
“The heron, startled by the lizard’s speed and size, retreated instantly, causing the fish to fall in the middle of the two. The Water Monitor, fueled by determination (and perhaps a bit of greed), did not give it a second thought and tried to grab the fish again quickly.”
“Luckily for the fish, the little hesitancy from the heron and the overly ambitious nature of the lizard was just what it needed; they gave the fish a quick window to escape, and it jumped straight back into the water! In the end, both the heron and the monitor were left with empty stomachs, but they sure left me with a story to remember.”