Monster Fish: Terrifying Toman
A writing sample for a documentary on the world’s most ferocious fish.
Intro Tease: Giant Snakehead
The very mention of the name giant snakehead or Toman in Malay will certainly send shivers down many fishermen’s and fish lovers’ spine. Giant snakeheads are known to be extremely aggressive and when they sense imminent danger, they are unafraid to attack — humans included.
(U/W footage tease featured “monster fish”)
The giant snakehead (Channa micropeltes) earns its name by being the largest species in the family of Channidae. Equipped with razor sharp teeth and a labyrinth organ, which allows it to surface above water and breathe normal air, the giant snakehead is a perfect carnivorous predator with power and efficiency to strike and tear chunks of meat off its prey. This devastating attack speed causes much worry especially to unsuspecting victims like children.
Graphic Open
Sound-ups/ selects from show
National Geographic Explorer and aquatic biologist Zeb Hogan has heard of horrifying stories of Orang Asli (indigenous people) children in Perak, Malaysia having amputated limbs supposedly due to attacks by the giant snakeheads thriving in the waters there. He decides to travel to Belum- Temengor in the Malaysia state of Perak to verify these stories and to confirm whether the giant snakehead truly lives up to the ferocity claims.
a) Belum- Temengor
Belum- Temengor is divided into two sections. Belum is located up north right by the Malaysia- Thailand border while Temengor is south of Belum. Belum- Temengor is believed to have been in existence for over 130 million years making it one of the world’s oldest rainforests, even older than the Congo or Amazon. Zeb is on his way to the Royal Belum State Park, a huge park that is part of the Belum- Temengor Forest Complex (BTFC). The journey starts with a land route up to a public jetty in Pulau Banding and followed by a ride on a houseboat to get into the park. Zeb is amazed with the sights of the untainted park. The guide, Udin, tells him that the Royal Belum State Park houses a wide variety of flora and fauna including 14 of the world’s most threatened animals such as the Malaysian Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, White Handed Gibbon, Malaysian sunbear and tapir. It is also ideal for bird- watchers with over 300 avian species. The world’s largest flower, Rafflesia, can also be found among the 3000 species of flowering plants in the forest. More importantly, within the Royal Belum State Park lies Lake Temengor, the second largest lake in
Peninsular Malaysia, thriving with a variety of freshwater fish species including the Kelah, Sebarau, Tenggalan and Baung. Lake Temengor is also the place, where Zeb will find the giant snakehead.
b) Protective of its young
Zeb arrives at Lake Temengor and is enthralled by the tranquility of the area. The lake is surrounded with thick forest and the water is still and calm. No one will have expected the lake is home to the terrifying giant snakehead. The juxtaposition between the serenity of the lake and the ferocity of the giant snakehead further piques Zeb’s interest in wanting to know more about the mechanism of the ecosystem in Lake Temengor. Udin informs him that Lake Temengor is actually a manmade lake used for water catchment. Rainwater continues to fill the lake and much of the vegetation is submerged underwater, which is perfect for the giant snakehead to spawn and thrive. The giant snakehead is highly protective of its young, thus preferring to spawn in covered and protected areas, lowering the possibility of being attacked by other fish. Zeb has not seen any animals yet but he is certain that there are many lurking in the thick vegetation and in the water, paying close attention to their every move.
U/W footage of Giant Snakehead
Known locally as the Toman, the giant snakehead can grow to over one meter long and weigh more than 20kg (44lb). The biggest one caught thus far measured 1.5m but there have been bigger ones spotted lurking in the deep corners of the lake. Its amphibious nature is one of the many traits that is magnificent yet worrying at the same time. The physiology of the giant snakehead allows it to crawl onto land to breathe atmospheric air and survive in stagnant water where oxygen levels are low. It can live up to four days out of water. As such, it can flourish when introduced to any body of freshwater, which is the reason for the rise in the number of giant snakehead in America even though it is known to be native only to the fresh waters of Southeast Asia and some regions in India.
c) Rising number of giant snakehead in America
Zeb is aware of the alarming rise in number of giant snakehead in some parts of America. This has caused much distress to the people because the giant snakehead is highly territorial and invasive. It will ensure that the water it lives in is free from other fish or animals. This means that it will not hesitate to eradicate any other creatures that live in the same water. Due to this, many fishermen have reported a drastic decline in other types of fish where the giant snakehead is known to be present. Zeb is also here to find out whether this is the case for Lake Temengor. He and Udin then proceeds to the Orang Asli villages to find out more about the giant snakehead in Lake Temengor and also to verify the horrifying stories of Orang Asli children being attacked by the giant snakehead, leaving them with amputated limbs.
d) Orang Asli (indigenous people)
Zeb arrives at the villages and is greeted warmly by the Orang Asli. The villages are built on stilts and are close to one another, forming a very closely knitted community. Zeb realizes that they are generally shorter and darker skinned with curly hair. They lead a very simple lifestyle and largely depend on hunting, fishing and gathering jungle products as their source of livelihood. The adults crowd around Zeb while he is introduced to the village head, Pak Lah. The latter invites him to his home. Zeb notices that the children are very shy and prefer to peer from behind their parents or from their homes.
e) Uncovering the truth about the giant snakehead
Zeb wastes no time in asking Pak Lah about the stories of Orang Asli children being attacked by the giant snakehead. Pak Lah smiles and confirms that those stories he heard are true. Some of the children have been attacked by the giant snakehead in the area when they are playing in the water. While some are left unscathed, there are those who have lost their fingers or have bits of flesh torn off by the giant snakehead. When these children play in the water or splash around while on the boats with their parents during hunting, the giant snakehead mistakes the disturbances to the still water as threat from other animals or fish. Without hesitation and coupled with its predatory nature, the giant snakehead will strike these children, sometimes injuring them very badly. Pak Lah then offers to take Zeb to hunt for the giant snakehead in the area and watch how it behaves in the wild.
f) Guarding and guiding parents
Equipped with fishing gears and spears, Pak Lah, Zeb, Udin and two other villagers ride on the boat and enter the deeper corners of the lake. Pak Lah knows exactly the spot where many giant snakeheads live and thrive. When they arrive at the spot, Zeb notices shadows in the water, not very far from their boat. Pak Lah explains to him that those shadows are actually the giant snakeheads. They are regarded as “top water” fish, which means that they swim nearer to the top for easy breathing of normal air above water. They are circling around to protect their young. Often, both parents will be around to work together to safeguard their nest. The female will guard the area from any threat while the male will guide the young to the surface of the water to breathe air. Sometimes, only the male will be seen. When only one parent is present, that is often the moment hunters like Pak Lah will take the opportunity to spear the fish and bring it home as food. However, do not be mistaken as the female is still lurking around, waiting to attack upon the slightest presence of threat. Due to this mistake of thinking that the female is not around, many fishermen have fallen prey to the vicious attacks of the giant snakehead, leaving them badly injured or even dead.
g) Edible food
Although the giant snakehead is known to be aggressive and ferocious, it does not stop people from hunting it as a source of food. In many parts of Southeast Asia, the giant snakehead is served as a delicacy and prepared in a variety of ways. It is believed to help in the healing of the body, especially after surgery or severe cuts and scrapes.
h) Game fish
Pak Lah then takes Zeb to the area, where the giant snakehead is treated as game fish and is popular among anglers from all over the world. The giant snakehead puts up a good fight when caught by these anglers. Zeb decides to give it a try and casts his rod. Live baits are often used to catch the giant snakehead in the wild. In certain parts of Southeast Asia, where the giant snakehead is found in reservoirs and bodies of drinking water, artificial baits are used instead. Regardless of the types of bait, the giant snakehead will strike it with full force and viciousness.
i) Sebarau (Jungle Perch)
Zeb feels a bite on his bait and quickly reels it in. The fight is tough as expected and he tries his best to maintain his balance on the boat without falling off. After a good 10 minutes of wrestling with the fish, he finally manages to reel it in. However, the catch is not what he wanted. He has caught a Sebarau or Jungle Perch instead. Pak Lah tells him that Sebarau is also rampant in the area. It belongs to the carp family. Similar to the giant snakehead, Sebarau is also very aggressive and is mainly piscivorous. Interestingly enough, although it is a carnivore, it does not have sharp teeth like the giant snakehead. The lips are tough and leathery, covering some very hard bones that are part of the jaws. Therefore, Sebarau will only be able to consume fish that it can swallow. The digestion only starts in the esophagus and then into the stomach.
j) Wading into the deeper corners of the lake
During his younger days, Pak Lah has heard stories of massive giant snakeheads in the deeper, forested corners of the lake. However, he has not entered the area before, as boats cannot penetrate through the thick vegetation surrounding it. The only way in is to wade in the waters. He, however, cautions this because no one knows exactly what is in the waters. They may unknowingly cross the nest of the giant snakehead and that will definitely spell danger. These huge giant snakeheads are said to be capable of consuming monkeys, which fall from the trees above. One can only imagine how enormous and powerful these giant snakeheads can be but Zeb is determined to hunt them. Pak Lah offers his assistance, as he is the only one who knows the way around. Furthermore, they can benefit from Pak Lah’s many years of experience in fishing the giant snakehead at Lake Temengor.
k) Human attack
Pak Lah, Zeb, Udin and the two villagers start wading in the waters, taking great care of their every step. Now that he is in the waters, Zeb notices there are many other fish species in the lake — Kelah (mahseer), Baung (type of catfish), Temoleh (Probarbus jullieni ), Tengalan (crossbanded barb), Kejor (mahseer barb) and Tengas (copper mahseer). Generally, these fish are not as aggressive and often swim away at the sight of human. They are also much smaller in size and are not physically as intimidating or fearsome looking as the giant snakehead. Suddenly, Zeb hears loud splashing of water and one of the villagers screaming at the back. Pak Lah shouts out to them to swim quickly to the shore nearby. There is a huge commotion as five of them scramble to the nearest shoreline. Zeb is confused as to what has happened. Upon reaching the shore, Pak Lah checks on the villager and finds cuts, which look faintly like bite marks on his right calf. He clears his throat before expressing his opinion on what could have caused the bite. He believes that when they were wading in the waters earlier, they might have crossed a giant snakehead’s nest. This could have alerted the giant snakehead parents nearby of a possible threat. Once they had located the threat, they decided to strike, which unfortunately happened to be the calf of the villager. Luckily, the cuts are not deep. Pak Lah suggests to Zeb to cast his rod at the area.
l) Fish in halves
Zeb sees that there are dead fish floating on the waters in the area. These dead fish are snapped in half. The giant snakehead is known to attack its prey by chomping on it and tearing the flesh off. Often, in the process, it will roll around and this will cause the prey to be torn into half.
m) First bite
Expecting the giant snakehead to be much bigger in this area, Zeb decides to use a sizeable live bait to lure it out. As the adage goes, still water runs deep, Zeb is confident that he will get a successful catch. After five minutes of teasing the water with his live bait, he notices a dark shadow circling around the bait. As he reels in, the shadow continues to follow it. Pak Lah nudges Zeb and gives a slight nod. They are certain that the fish they are hunting for is finally here. Zeb is about to reel in more when suddenly, they hear a loud explosion and splashing of water. He feels a huge pull on his line that causes him to lose his footing momentarily. His rod bends forward, almost curling up to a full circle. He knows he has to release the tension on his fishing line, least the fishing line will snap and the catch will swim away. He has to get into the waters to have a higher chance of successfully catching the fish.
n) Living missile
As Zeb wrestles with the fish, he cannot help but notice that the fish looks like a living missile in the water, trying to pull away the bait. It is swimming at tremendous speed, propelling in all directions and struggling very hard to be released from the hook. Zeb fights to reel in the fish closer so that the rest can help to bring it to shore.
o) Death roll
What happens next truly amazes Zeb. As he reels in the fish closer, he confirms that it is the giant snakehead, possibly measuring close to a metre. The rest are about to help when unexpectedly, the giant snakehead does a “death roll”, similar to that of crocodiles when they have caught their prey in their mouths to kill it. The giant snakehead rolls a few times, possibly with the hope of breaking free at the very last minute.
p) The one that got away
In the whole commotion and the unexpected “death roll” executed by the giant snakehead, it finally is able to break free and swim away. The fishing hook is dislodged from the mouth of the fish and almost got hooked onto Zeb’s arm. Pak Lah tells him that there have been cases where the hook gets caught on the anglers’ body parts during the tussle with the giant snakehead. Although the giant snakehead got away, Zeb is not disappointed because he gets to experience first hand the ferocity, violence and strength of the giant snakehead during the tussle.
q) Colour change
As night time is drawing closer, Zeb and the rest have to make their way back to the village before it gets pitch dark. They have to wade out once again but this time they try to move as quickly as they can so as to avoid another attack. When Zeb is about to swim, he realizes there is a school of red small fish at the corner of the shore, shrouded by undergrowth and tree branches. He knows that they are the young of the giant snakehead. The young are red, with orange and black lateral stripes appearing after two months or so. As they mature, they lose their stripes and redness and instead, develop a bluish- black and white pattern on the upper body. Some look shiny and slick, while others appear to be more dull and dark. These colourations provide the best camouflage for the giant snakehead to hide and attack its preys. Regardless, the appearance of the pattern coupled with the elongated, missile- like body shape and eyes to the side of the rounded head are akin to snakes, lending the moniker snakehead.
r) Flight out
Zeb is not ready to give up on catching the biggest and fiercest giant snakehead ever existed. Hence, he decides to fly to the most popular fishing spot for monster fish in Southeast Asia, the Mekong River in Thailand. Before leaving, Pak Lah offers a tip to Zeb. He says, “You need to know their habitats and lifestyle. To catch a fish, you need to think like a fish.”
s) Mekong Catfish
Zeb is aware of the beauty of the Mekong River and especially the monster fish that it has to offer. The most popular monster fish to excite yet terrify the people is the Mekong Catfish. It is possibly the largest freshwater fish in the world, with reports of it growing up to more than 600 lbs. Although toothless, the Mekong Catfish is still feared greatly not only because of its tremendous size but also its powerful suctioning ability. Once plentiful throughout the Mekong basin, the population of the Mekong Catfish is seeing a drastic decline and this critically endangered behemoth now teeters on the brink of extinction. Many factors contribute to this decline, primarily overfishing as well as destruction to their habitats and spawning areas. The Mekong Catfish is highly respected and revered and according to Thai folklore, special rituals have to be made before fishing it.
t) Venturing into the wilderness
To find the giant snakehead in the Mekong River, Zeb knows he has to venture into the wilderness — the dense and thick vegetation, which is a favourite spot for the giant snakehead. Accompanying Zeb are Nong and Toom, who grew up scouring the waters of the Mekong River with their parents to hunt for fish as food. They know the Mekong River like the back of their hands and are used to unpredictable nature of the waters. Although they are very experienced, upon learning that they will have to penetrate into the deep vegetation to search the giant snakehead, they have to prepare themselves for the arduous journey. As usual, they partake in a ritual, practised and taught by their parents, before setting off in the Mekong River.
u) Deep murky waters
After a three- hour ride on the boat, they finally reach their destination. Although the area is very much similar to Lake Temengor with its dense forest, thick vegetation and decaying logs scattered around, there is a different feel to this area, almost ominous and somber. Lake Temengor may be secluded and isolated but there is the quiet charm that pervades the air. The deep murky water in the area here further reinforces the unfamiliarity and uncertainty of what is beneath the water. Zeb wastes no time and casts his rod.
v) Artificial bait
This time, Zeb uses an artificial bait to lure the giant snakehead. He spins the reel continuously to drag the bait along the surface of the water to simulate a swimming fish. He casts twice and on the third try, he notices ripples in the water.
w) The fight
Even though it is the second time he is fishing for the giant snakehead, he is still taken aback with the explosion when the fish bites his bait. He is, however, more prepared for the fight now and ensures that he will successfully bring it in. The fight is tough, with the rod bending and Zeb struggling to keep his balance while tossing and turning right to left to reel the fish in. Nong and Toom are ready with the net to scoop the fish up once Zeb is able to draw it closer to the boat. After 20 minutes of wrestling with the fish, he finally is able to reel it in closer and Nong and Toom scoop the fish with the net together.
x) Monster fish
Zeb has finally caught the giant snakehead with success. He tries to catch his breath and stretch his sore arms from the tussle earlier. The giant snakehead he has caught measured slightly more than a metre and weighed close to 18kg. The giant snakehead continues to struggle and even tries to waddle away with its fins. It clams its mouth shut, disallowing Zeb to pry open and take the hook off from the mouth. After several attempts, Zeb manages to dig in between the lips and dislodge the hook. Carrying the fish up to get a better look at it, the giant snakehead continues to snap its jaw in a chomping manner. The giant snakehead is truly a living torpedo with its streamlined body shape and rounded head, which is thick and impenetrable with a normal spear.
y) Killing machine with good parenting skills
Zeb understands why many fishermen are still attacked even though they have supposedly tried to weaken the giant snakehead by spearing its head. The spear is not enough to make the giant snakehead retreat, needless to say kill it. Conversely, it becomes even more voracious and hostile upon being attacked as such. Thus, it locks in and propels towards the fishermen with great strength and speed, injuring or possibly even delivering a fatal blow.
With all the claims of the giant snakehead being aggressive and ferocious, it is only natural for it to be as such to defend and protect its young. When provoked or faced with impending threat, it makes complete sense for the giant snakehead parents to defend or even attack to eradicate all forms of threat to keep their young safe in the habitat.
