In Guyana, Steve Backshall caught a banana catfish, then a 'vampire' fish fell from its gills

A river survey in Guyana turned into something out of a creature feature when a giant banana catfish emerged from the water — and a blood-fed "vampire" fish dropped from its gills.

The moment, captured with wildlife presenter Steve Backshall, offered a vivid glimpse of just how strange and complex freshwater ecosystems can be.

What happened?

In footage shared by BBC Earth (@bbcearth), the channel wrote, "Steve Backshall sets off with a local fisherman and makes an impressive catch of a banana catfish and another exceptionally fast fish…"

During the Guyana fish survey, Backshall and local fishermen hauled up a large specimen that he identified by saying, "That is the banana catfish."

He pointed to its yellow underside — "like a banana" — and said it was probably about 20 years old, perhaps older.

The catfish was also carrying parasites. While the team looked it over, a candiru, often called vampire catfish, fell from its gills, prompting Backshall to explain, "These candiru actually swim in, latch into the gills of a large fish, and drink the blood."

He added that one was "absolutely thick full of blood."

The footage later shows saber-tooth characins, also known as saber-tooth tetras.

Backshall called one "the nearest-looking thing to an actual monster I've ever seen," while a viewer commented, "Wow. That's a new one for me. Never seen a sabertooth animal with the elongated teeth being on the bottom jaw."

Why does it matter?

The footage shows that rivers are home to highly specialized animals.

In a single survey, the team documented a long-lived catfish, blood-drinking parasites, and a fast nocturnal predator with oversized teeth adapted to kill prey quickly.

Healthy freshwater ecosystems support food webs, fisheries, and local communities. When scientists, local experts, and filmmakers document what lives in these waters, they build a clearer understanding of how species interact—and what could be lost if habitats are damaged by pollution, overfishing, or deforestation.

Backshall joked, "The big lesson, I guess, is if you're in the river, don't go for a wee."

What's being done?

The BBC Earth video shows a catch-and-release survey process in which species are identified and then returned to the river as quickly as possible. Working with local fishermen can also surface observations about river life that are difficult to get from textbooks alone.

Documentary footage also plays an important role. Close-up scenes of rarely seen fish can spark curiosity and public support for freshwater conservation in ways that raw data often cannot.

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