Main content

Fish play chicken

Fed by volcanic springs, Lake Magadi’s waters are not only caustic, but in places they’re hot enough to poach an egg. Amazingly, there’s a creature that has made its home in the most extreme environment in which fish life has ever been recorded - a little fish, known as the alkaline tilapia. The algae on which the tilapia feed grow best in the volcanic springs so each little fish faces an agonizing choice. It can stay safe, but hungry, or it can risk life and fin in a dangerous game of ‘chicken’, dashing into the hot spring, snatching a mouthful of algae, then dashing back into cooler water before it cooks. Most of the fish are content to hang around the margins of the spring, but there’s always one adventurous, or extra hungry individual prepared to go for the jackpot. There’s no question of the rewards, but it’s a hugely risky game.

Release date:

Duration:

2 minutes

Featured in...

More clips from Water

More clips from The Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart