It's raining fish in Australia's north

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Very occasionally, when the right conditions occur, fish fall from the sky in our most northern parts. Residents at Lajamanu, a remote outback community in Australia's Northern Territory, were very surprised when, during heavy rainfall, fish were raining down. They were still alive and the children were catching them in the puddles. Authorities say that strong updrafts can suck water and fish from rivers and dump them hundreds of kilometres away. Another recent news story from the same area reported fish being in water that was streaming across a flooded outback road. These are spangled perch which live in tiny desert waterholes. It survives in very challenging environments and has good tolerance to heat, salt, low oxygen and crowding. Once the fish are flushed out by heavy rains and make their way to new habitats and refuges. They are opportunistic feeders and have a single dorsal fin, big mouth and orange spots. Ain’t Nature wonderful? My photo shows a dry river bed in that area. This would be a raging torrent if there are big rains. Away from the immediate vicinity of the river, the trees give way to scrub and spinifex.