Nasrallah’s mesmerizing dance at Israel’s popular resort
A school of striped eel catfish - a species nicknamed after the leader of Hezbollah for their ill temper and whiskers - was documented in Eilat, where until two years ago there were no reported sightings
After a long absence from public eyes, a school of striped eel catfish, also known as a Nasrallah fish among Israelis, was caught on camera doing a mesmerizing dance of synchronicity.
The Marine Inspector of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (NPA) Omri Omassi filmed the species which are named after Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, for their feisty nature and an appearance of whiskers.
"It's a local species," said Omassi. "Although it used to stay in the southern Red Sea and other areas, how and why it's here now is hard to tell, now, the species is inhabiting the Northern Beach of the Red Sea near Eilat."
The striped eel catfish originated from the Indo-Pacific but is now considered a natural inhabitant of the Mediterranean Sea after the species invaded its waters through the Suez Canal sometime after 1869, and although it's now a local of our area, until two years ago, sightings of the species were nonexistent
Now, the species' tendency to form into a tight ball, and its magnificent beautiful sort of dance, can be viewed in Eilat's North Beach, which starches all the way from the Jordanian border, and is the geographical end of the Eilat Pier.
Although the species is covered with venomous spikes all around its body and is notorious among the fishermen that get to meet it up close, the NPA emphasized that the fish is harmless to people while it's in its natural habitat.
