The Channa argus, also known as the Nothern Snakehead, is an uprising threat in many countries including the United States. Growing up to more than 1 meter in length and weighing up to 15 lbs, they have no natural predator in the food chain.
These Snakefishes are thrust feeders. As juveniles, they feed on plankton, aquatic insects and mollusks, and when they grow up, they prey on other fish. They can come in and dominate almost any freshwater ecosystem. They are extremely difficult to contain, as they can breathe for up to 4 days of atmospheric air, and wriggle over a 1/4 mile of land to a new body of water.
They originated out of Asia and were introduced to America as a food-fish. When people began to release wild Snakeheads into American habitat, the population exploded and they began to spread rapidly. Due to their amazing adaptability to many different environments, the Snakehead fish has had no problem in any parts of the United States in which it has been introduced. Piscicides such as Rotenone have been released in ponds known to contain the fish in order to prevent them from spreading farther.
Blog Post by Alex Machado and Noah Schlottman
No comments:
Post a Comment