Fish chokes boy to death

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A boy has died after the fish he was holding jumped out of his hands and leapt into his mouth, choking him to death.

According to a story from the New Straits Times, eight-year-old Samiun Ahmad, caught a 7cm x 4cm Climbing perch, Anabas testudineus, in a neighbour's concrete pond.

Witnesses said that the boy wanted to show the fish off to his friend and brother, but the fish "slipped out of his hands and leapt into his mouth".

"He was so excited with his catch. He showed them to us and wanted to rear the fish in our neighbour's pond", the boy's Father told the New Straits Times."We never thought something like this could happen."
Friends tried to pull the fish out of his mouth but it had lodged itself firmly.

Climbing perch are equipped with very spiky fins and rough scales and often become entangled in nets.

Although this sounds bizarre, it is not the first time this has happened.

Back in 2003, Practical Fishkeeping reported a story about a Cambodian teenager who had caught a similarly spiky Kantrorb, Pristolepis fasciata, which had lodged itself in his throat, choking him to death.

This fish, at some 20cm/8" in length, though, was rather larger than the juvenile Anabas involved in this distressing incident.