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A particular species of fish can survive for several days on land and can eat mammals: the Northern snakehead. It is native to the Yangtze River basin in China. The invasive fish was found in Gwinnett County in early October in a pond attached to a private property. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resource Division (WRD), this is the first time the species has been found in Georgia.
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| Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons |
The Daily Mail, a British daily middle-market newspaper published in London in a tabloid format, reported that the Northern snakehead can grow three feet long and survive for up to four days out of water. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has warned the public that the fish can affect native aquatic wildlife species. The fish is known to eat other fish, frogs, small reptiles, crustaceans, birds and some mammals. Officials are still investigating where the fish came from.
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| Photo Credit: Wildlife Resources Division - Georgia DNR on Facebook (via Unilad) |
“Thanks to the quick report by an angler, our staff was able to investigate and confirm the presence of this species in this water body. 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,” Matt Thomas, Chief of Fisheries for the Wildlife Resources Division, said.
The department urged people to kill the invasive fish immediately and freeze it when they encounter one. The post also had several reminders, including not releasing the fish when they discover it, take pictures if possible, note where it was caught, and immediately report it to their regional Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division Fisheries Office.
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| Photo Credit: Unilad |
According to Unilad, a British Internet media company and website owned by the LADbible Group, the WRD issued a press release stating how citizens can take action. This includes learning how to identify northern snakehead, disposing of aquarium animals and plants in the garbage, disposing of all bait in trash cans, among others.
