Goliath Tigerfish

Goliath Tigerfish battle analysis

The goliath tigerfish is the biggest and most heavily armed of the African tigerfishes. Its jaws carry 32 large teeth that sit along the outside of the mouth like a row of daggers, meshing together when the mouth closes. When teeth break or wear, the fish sheds a whole set and grows a new one in a matter of days, so its weapons are almost always sharp.

It hunts in some of the most demanding freshwater on Earth, the fast, churning channels of the Congo River, where it holds position in the current and strikes at fish swept past. Its smaller relative, the African tigerfish, has been filmed leaping out of the water to snatch swallows in flight, a sign of how fast and precisely these fish can attack.

In a battle, the goliath tigerfish is a sharp but lightly built attacker. Against another fish of its size, its teeth and fast-water power make it very dangerous. It has no armor, however, and at around 25 kg it cannot absorb the bite of a crocodile or large shark. Many of the frightening stories about it come from popular media rather than science; the real animal is impressive enough without them.

Habitat & range

The goliath tigerfish lives in the Congo River basin, including the Lualaba River and Lake Upemba, and in Lake Tanganyika. It prefers highly oxygenated, fast-flowing water in deep river channels and open lake waters.

Diet & hunting

Adults are strict fish-eaters, taking smaller fish including tilapia and smaller tigerfish. Juveniles eat plankton before switching to small fish. It is one of the top predators of the Congo's rivers.

Social life

Little is known about the social life of wild goliath tigerfish; no stable groups or cooperative hunting are documented for large adults.

Conservation

The goliath tigerfish is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2010 assessment). Local threats may include fishing pressure and river development, but its conservation is poorly studied.

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