Visiting a beach at the ocean, I recently saw a Blue Heron dive and catch quite a spiky/large (and colorful! I think it was called a sculpin) crosswise in it's bill. It appeared, meal was fighting to prevent becoming the bird's dinner. This fish was over a foot in length, quite girthy, and spiky fins! In about a minute the heron had its head and gulped the thing live the whole way down it’s long neck!!
It was a bit gruesome to watch the climax... I thought it was finally over, but once in the stomach you could see the fish kicking much to the discomfort (it appeared) to the bird!
We didn't hang around for longer. I wonder if that was the end for the fish or if the heron its meal??
Still, wouldn’t the sculpin stand a of escaping or even damaging (thrashing, sharp fins, biting, etc.) the bird's insides if eaten like that?? I thin the
elastic/stretchy insides could work against itself, giving the fish a chance to turn around? Thanks!