Fact Check: Devil fish DID NOT fall from the sky in Hyderabad
A rare fish has been spotted in Sai Krishna Nagar, Ramanthapur, Hyderabad. Locals claim that the devil fish could have fallen from the sky when it rained heavily on Monday. People are flocking to take a glimpse of the rare species.
A few images and videos showing a rare fish are going viral on social media, especially on YouTube, with a claim that it has dropped from the sky in Ramanthapur, Hyderabad.
One of the YouTube video narrates that the fish has fallen from the sky in their neighbourhood. The claim which is in Telugu language says: "హైదరాబాద్ రామంతపూర్ సాయి కృష్ణ నగర్ లో అరుదైన చేప సాక్షాత్కరించింది. సోమవారం కురిసిన వర్షానికి ఆకాశం నుండి ఊడిపోవచ్చు అని స్థానికులు అనుమానిస్తున్నారు. ఇది అరుదుగా కనిపించే డెవిల్ చేప అని స్థానికుల పేర్కొంటున్నారు. దాన్ని చూడడానికి స్థానికులు ఎగబడుతున్నారు."
When translated, it reads: "A rare fish has been spotted in Sai Krishna Nagar, Ramanthapur, Hyderabad. Locals claim that the devil fish could have fallen from the sky when it rained heavily on Monday. People are flocking to take a glimpse of the rare species."
Fact check:
The claim that the fish found by the locals at Ramanthapur has fallen from the sky is FALSE.
Though it is true that the devil fish was found in the area, it is not true that it had fallen from the sky.
According to a report by the NDTV, a suckermouth catfish, also known as the devil fish, was caught in the floodwaters during the incessant rain in Hyderabad.
Residents of Ramanthapur found the fish in their neighbourhood after it apparently made its way there along with water overflowing from nearby lakes and canals.
A report published in freepressjournal.in also states that after heavy rains in the city, a video shows a woman from the locality holding the fish with sharp fins in her bare hands, while neighbours flocked the place to catch a glimpse of the creature.
When searched, we found a few instances where similar devil fish was found in the water bodies in Telangana.
According to Telangana Today, an 'Amazon Sailfin Catfish' has been caught at Chinnamandava village of Chintakani mandal in October 2020. A fisherman, Earla Venkateswarlu, belonging to the village, caught the fish while he was fishing in a local stream.
According to experts, the Catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) is a freshwater tropical fish in the armored catfish family (Loricariidae). The species is native to the Amazon river basin in Brazil and Peru.
The Amazon Sailfin Catfish is an invasive species that feeds on local fish, reducing their population. In August too, a fisherman caught a similar fish at Palair which is now being reared in an aquarium at the Fisheries Research Station (FRS) in that place.
We also found a video broadcast by ETV Telangana in February 2022, which reported on how the Amazon Sailfin Catfish (or the Devil fish) is scaring fishermen of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana. By feeding on the local fish, the Devil fish reduces the catch of the fishermen, who are clueless from where the killer species has arrived. The Devil fish which were in tens last year multiplied to hundreds now.
Similar kind of reports citing that the Amazon Sailfin Catfish are carnivorous and a threat to the local ecosystem were posted by various other news websites.
Therefore, the claim that the fish is very rare and has fallen from the sky is FALSE. The fish is Amazon Sailfin Catfish and is notorious for its invading nature.