Snakehead Fish: The diversity in nature astonishes us every time and creates a deep sense of awe and wonder. It grabs our attention to complement nature’s variable and surplus form, and its versatility.
The recent species encountered creates the same feeling and compels us to discover nature to the most we can.
Close to this something happened in Gwinnett County Pond, Georgia which recently witnessed the entry of NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD fish as said by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Wildlife Department. This fish can survive on moist land for 4 hours long, which breathes through an air bladder that works same as lungs according to Chesapeak bay program. It is highly predatory in nature and prey being pond fishes, mammals and small insects which is something alarming because if this continues, this fish might disrupt the food web and create imbalance in nature. This is for the first time that any species has been recorded in the waters of Georgia.
Authorities are working in direction as to find its occurrence in the water body of Georgia because its absolutely illegal to import, transport, sell and accommodate any snakehead species without a valid Wildlife license. Such an abrupt encounter is basically considered as an unauthorized introduction of this invasive predatory species.
According to the US Geological survey this slender, long and thin fish is similar to bowfin because it correlates with it in being predatory in nature.
Salient features of this fish
- Breathes through air- bladder, and has a survival of 4 days on land.
- Weigh up to 18 pounds or more.
- Grows up to a height of 3 feet.
- Eats amphibians, crawfish and small insects.
- It can be served as a nutrient meal.
Wildlife officials of Georgia are taking measures to eradicate it from the area as it is a great threat to surviving species nearby.
These snakeheads are native to Asia and are used variably:
- Sold as pets
- Act as live- food
But these were used as above mentioned before 2002 because after this US Fish and Wildlife department listed it as a threat to wildlife.
Some facts related to Snakehead fish
- The first sharp- toothfish was discovered in Silverwood lake California in 1997.
- These Northern Snakeheads have previously been reported in 14 other Georgian states according to the Georgian Department of Natural resources, Wildlife Department.
To say nature’s diversity has always been a sight to hold and view, being close to nature or encountering the versatility of nature for the first time is always a jaw-dropping experience. But nature always maintains a balance within itself any imbalance created by whichever means is countered by nature, this snakehead fish being a threat, maybe a source of nature’s way to regain some balance but this should never be a forced action because that may lead to disruption of life in that particular area. The entry of these kinds of predatory and invasive species would create havoc and natural imbalance.
