Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-01-18
LITTLE FISH KILLS BIG SHARK
Desperate Contest Lasted for Two Days
In Aquarium.

T'oV Milo 0Id SnAnNs
desperate Contest Lasted for Two Days
In Aquarium.
a remarkable instance Of a large
man-eating shark being attacked and
killed Dy small fish, occurred in the
local aquarium last week, says the
Honolulu correspondent Of the New
York Herald. The case has aroused
great interest, for it was not thought
such fate could overtake ferocious
sea wolf.
A shark measuring - feet in length
was caught and placed in the shark
pen at the aquarium. 1t was the first
specimen Of live monster that had
been shown here, and large crowds Wis
TIED the place. The shark was Of the
variety known as tiger" and was an
ugly dark-gray color. Eight men were
necessary to get it from the shallow
water into the pen, which measured
about 20 feet square and was about 5
feet deep.
When the shark was placed in the
pen a turtle and some small fish were
in the water It was supposed the
shark would soon make short work Of
them. Among the fish was one about
2 feet in length, known as an ulua,
which has much sharper teeth than
the ordinary fish, but it's jaws are not
especially large.
For perhaps day after the shark
was put into the open the ulua was
kept busy lodging it, but the second
day a marked change occurred and
visitors noticed that the two fish were
swimming in company. The ulua would
keep close under the sharks belly.
Round and round the tank the pair
would swim, the shark eager to cap
ture the ulua, as it had done all Of
the other fish, and the ulua eager to
remain as close as possible to it's en-
envy.
After several days of this skirmish
ing another change in the action Of the
two fish was noticed. Instead Of swim
ming rapidly around the shark would
suddenly turn and lash the water and
take an entirely different course. 1t
was first thought that the creature had
become enraged at being confined in
such limited space, but the cause was
very different.
From being a helpless, shrinking
coward the ulua had turned into a des-
perate aSsailant and was savagely at
lacking the shark. Apparently real
izing that the tender portion of the
shark was the belly and about the gills
the ulua confined it's attacks to those
parts Of its enemy. The little assail-
ant would dart under the big body,
seize hold Of the flesh near the gills
and bite out small sections. Every
time the sharp teeth Of the ulua would
tear away the shark flesh the monster
would writhe and thrash about in a
frantic effort to seize on it's assailant,
but a stroke Of the ulua's tail would
send the tiny combatant out of harms
way.
OLCCh 40 thC OlS say OOuJ NOuiN
rush madly through the water the
ulua would snap at the tail and tear
away the flesh in other portions Of
the body. The water was churned up
so that neither of the combatants could
be seen. The smaller fish always
fought close in upon it's opponent,
where it was out Of reach of the enOr-
nous jaws and close to the vital spots
Of the shark.
This strange warfare lasted for two
days and two nights. Big holes were
made in the sharks body. The flesh
about the gills was torn away and
great patches from it's belly. The en-
tire lower part Of the shark was cut
and lacerated by the sharp teeth Of it's
savage little enemy. Repeatedly the
shark leaped two-thirds Of it's length
out of the water in frantic endeavor
to escape from it's pursuer.
The big fish finally gave up the con-
test and sought only to escape. The
ulua was transferred to another part
of the aquarium and the shark left in
peace, but the attacks by the small fish
had so weakened the Shark that it died
few days after the ulua was re-
moved