Enormous Tuna Fish Launches Itself Entirely Out of the Water While Hunting Next to a Kayaker

The waters around the UK are not known for their ferocious wildlife. Most of the aquatic creatures here are pretty low-key and very few of them would be described as scary. The guy in the kayak in the clip below, however, found out that this is not always the case! He ran into a huge tuna that was hunting a shoal of smaller fish. There is some strong language in this fascinating clip that shows that tuna have no regard for kayakers whatsoever!

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Where Do Tuna Normally Live?

The tuna in this clip is likely to be an Atlantic bluefin tuna. They are distributed throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and are found in sub-tropical and temperate waters. This footage was captured off the Devon coast of the UK. This was a rare sight as in previous decades the species was hunted to the brink of extinction. However, thanks to improved international management of their stocks, they appear to be making a recovery. They have now been spotted in coastal waters and are a regular site off the coast of Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall. Their reappearance in these waters is also due to the increase in their prey which are small pelagic fish such as sardines. Bluefin tuna can be spotted in this area in midsummer through to the fall.

What Do Bluefin Tuna Normally Look Like?

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is the largest of the tuna fish. We can see from this clip what a magnificent animal it is. They can grow to over 14 feet in length and weigh over 500 pounds. These fish have two dorsal fins with a small space between them and short pictorial fins.

As their name suggests, they are a metallic blue color on the top half of their bodies. However, when you view them from underneath they are silver.

What Do Bluefin Tuna Normally Eat?

As you can see in this clip, these fish are predators. They chase their prey using their very high swimming speeds. However, they can also use a type of modified filter feeding to catch slower and smaller organisms. They have also been seen eating kelp. Some of the largest tuna will also feed on squid, eels, and crustaceans.

Their predators include sharks, killer whales, and pilot whales. Sadly, their most significant predator and the biggest threat to their survival are humans.