For most animals, ending up in a predator¡¯s stomach means all is lost. But not for Japanese eels.
In a study published Monday in the journal Current Biology, scientists filmed juvenile Japanese eels staging Houdiniesque feats of escape from inside a predatory fish. After being swallowed and deposited into the fish¡¯s stomach, the young eels swam up the hunter¡¯s esophagus and escaped through an opening in its gills, much to the fish¡¯s displeasure.
This is the first time scientists have been able to see exactly how a prey species escaped a predator¡¯s stomach. Researchers now wonder if other slender-bodied species use the same lifesaving technique.
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