They swim fast, are adept at chasing and preying on fish, and eat throughout all four seasons, still having a strong appetite in winter. They only reduce their feeding intensity or even stop eating in the summer when the water temperature rises or during the breeding season when they cease feeding.
Feeding usually occurs before sunrise and after sunset, when they move from deep to shallow waters near the shore to hunt for fish or active water creatures like snakes, frogs, rodents, and waterfowl (mostly cold-water fish species, with varying diets depending on the ecological environment they inhabit). At other times, they often lurk at the bottom of streams where there is shade from the banks, and Taimen juveniles primarily feed on benthic invertebrates.
