Please kill these snake-like fish that can breathe on land — Georgia
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Oct 11, 2019
Georgia wildlife officials put out the word about the killer fish because it's been spotted in a pond, and just one is enough to cause a panic.
Wildlife officials often put a catch-and-release policy into place for fish.
In addition, Wildlife Resources asked anyone who catches a northern snakehead to take pictures if possible and report where it was caught.
Georgia's Department of Natural Resources says an angler caught a northern snakehead fish in a Gwinett County pond earlier this month.
The task force reports that this fish species eats other fish, frogs, small reptiles, crustaceans, birds and some mammals. We are now taking steps to determine if they have spread from this water body and, hopefully, keep it from spreading to other Georgia waters'.
The Northern Snakehead Fish is native to countries like Russian Federation and China but not to the United States.
The Facebook post read: "Northern snakeheads are bad news".
The northern snakehead is native to China but has already been spotted in multiple USA states, including Maryland, California, Arkansas and Virginia.
Reports said the invasive fish have previously been found in 14 other states and are native to the Yangtze River basin in China, according to WYFF 4. The unique fish can survive up to four days out of water if it's kept moist, and it can remain immobile, but alive, in mud during drought, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program. "They can also breathe air allowing them to survive on land and in low oxygenated systems". These oddball animals can get up to 3 feet in length (that's about a meter) and are known for their voracious appetites and ability to breathe air. The likelihood is that they were introduced via some sort of unauthorised release, although what motive somebody would have for doing this is less clear.
