What are the tough wild animals that survive in the harsh wild?
There are many, but let me tell you something different. You often eat this. Think your life is the hardest? This fish is threatened with death every second from all directions by various ocean creatures!
You know the answer already, don’t you? Yes, the sardine, also known as the “pilchard” in some parts of the world. What’s special about sardines and other similar small fish?
Sardines can live up to more than ten years in the wild, but usually only around five years because of the many serious threats they face, including large-scale human fishing.
Their strategies and adaptations for survival:
They eat the limitless small ocean creatures, plankton. The same food as the blue whale, the largest creature in the world. Thus, they are classified as filter feeders, opening their mouths wide to filter free-floating food.
They reach reproductive maturity quickly, around one to two years, just like cats. They reproduce by external fertilization. Female sardines release many eggs to be fertilized outside (in the seawater or around the reefs). They hatch several times each season.
They swim in large schools to make it hard for predators to focus on targeting one or a few fish while chasing them. They can dodge in synchronized movements whenever a predator attacks their school. Even though they seem to gather in large numbers, it’s hard to catch them!
Sea lions try to catch their favorite food but always fail. They look like Neo dodging bullets in the movie The Matrix!
But that’s Plan A. There are always surprises lurking in the ocean. Let me present to you the brutal life of sardines!
The sea lions, exhausted from trying to catch these agile fish, grow frustrated. They call for reinforcements.
“Damn! We need support!” And then, schools of tuna, as fast as torpedoes, arrive. “Roger, sea lions. We’ll attack from below.”
The tight formation of sardines, like ancient Greek soldiers, struggles against the blitzkrieg of the tuna and the sea lions waiting at the edges. “We need missile support from above too!”
“Missiles launched!” Shearwater birds dive from above.
With so many attacks from below, sides, and above, the sardine formation falls apart, but some still manage to escape with their last bit of stamina.
“Tanks charging in!” say the copperhead sharks, attracted by the scent of so much blood.
“Yippee! Let’s join the fun!” say the dolphins, the jolly participants in this predator feast.
Strangely, all these predators do not attack each other! They focus on wiping out the sardine school. I pray for the souls of the fallen sardines and for the safety of those still alive…
Suddenly, when the massacre reaches its peak, a thunderous sound roars, and all the creatures flee from the battleground…
“Nuclear bomb has been dropped!” says a giant whale, wiping out the remaining sardines in the battle.
Millions and tons of sardines perish in less than an hour…
So, guys, when you open your next can of sardines, imagine the horror these poor fish endured throughout their lives. Make sure not to waste your sardines!
Yes, I believe sardines are one of the tough creatures surviving in the merciless wild. They are still surviving today, and I hope their population continues to grow.
All images were quoted from a BBC Wild video.
