Researchers at Togiak National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska were catching fish for tracking when they spotted one small rainbow trout with a bulging belly that didn't seem like he was going to make it, so they split open his stomach and were shocked to find 19 well-preserved shrews inside, Alaska Public Media reports.
"I can't say for certain that I've ever seen a well preserved shrew in a stomach analysis," fish biologist, Mark Lisac, told Alaska Public Media. "No one ever thought they would pull 19 shrews out of it."
Although Lisac said he normally doesn't dissect fish at the refuge, he was nonetheless surprised at the trout's unbelievable appetite, as it was nothing he had ever seen before. It's not uncommon for trouts to eat small mammals, but it's rare for them to eat so many.
"It's possible that this fish just happened to be in a good channel and there was a flood event or something and then all of the shrews that got washed into the river weren't actually swimming. They were probably drowned, and this fish just happened to be in the right spot at the right time," he said, adding that unlike voles who can swim across entire lakes, shrews aren't particularly strong swimmers, making them "pretty irresistable" treats for the fish.
After Togiak Refuge posted a photo of the dead rainbow trout with all of his 19 eaten shrews to Facebook, the picture went viral, and even prompted an interview with Lisac and the BBC. The now-famous trout with the voracious appetite may have set a new record, as Lisac said the most he's ever heard of a fish eating all at once is seven.
"It may be surprising at how many fish actually do specialize in that, or it could have just been a freak event," Lisac said, adding that his friend probably won't tell his wife about the incident, because if he does, she'll be far less likely to eat a trout.
Click here to hear the full interview with Mark Lisac, the man who met the very hungry rainbow trout.
