Underwater photos of sailfish attacking a school of sardines

Marilyn sez, "Pual Nicklen's amazing underwater photos of sailfish are a stunning series of seriously bizarre-looking sailfish attacking a school of sardines as big as an elephant." In the Whirl (Thanks, Marilyn!)

[#1 posted by acb , August 21, 2008 5:08 AM]

Of course, if they catch some sardines, they won't share them with you, because they're sailfish.

I'll get me coat.

[#2 posted by Takuan , August 21, 2008 5:12 AM]

ow!

[#3 posted by Cory Doctorow , August 21, 2008 5:13 AM]

That pun stank on ice.

[#4 posted by physik , August 21, 2008 5:45 AM]

Nature had a special on Billfish and they had some amazing underwater film of marlin doing this. The cinematographers were freaked out because of the risk of getting impaled on the noses of the marlin. Good stuff.

[#5 posted by Anonymous , August 21, 2008 6:15 AM]

Wow, Sailfish Katamari! I wonder what else is gonna stick to that... ? :)

[#6 posted by Apreche , August 21, 2008 7:10 AM]

I'd like to see the can those sardines go in. Huge!

[#7 posted by travelina , August 21, 2008 8:24 AM]

You can watch the sailfishies work together to wear down the massive ball of sardines by repeatedly cutting into it and inflating their huge sails and flashing the wildly colored iridescent stripes along their bodies to confuse the baitfish until there's just a little ball of fish left:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/video/player?titleID=1579853604

[#8 posted by David Guerrero , August 21, 2008 8:50 AM]

Mmmm...makes me very hungry. I grilled up a fresh mackerel the other night and it was delicious, low in mercury and very sustainable. Sardines are a good sustainable food as well. Sailfish (and swordfish) are not. This photo is a good demonstration of why.