True facts about the Northern Snakehead Fish

True facts about the Northern Snakehead fish. The snakehead fish is recently discovered in Georgia on land. Why does Georgia and wildlife officials want you to kill them. Find out with true facts about the Northern Snakehead fish?Show more

Did you know the first Northern Snakehead was discovered in a pond in Crofton, Maryland, in 2002? The Channa argus known as the Northern Snakehead is officially from Asia and the southern part of Russia (near the border of China). Most exotic animals are imported, bought as pets, and sometimes they are released in nature.

The adult has a tan, dark brown or black coloring with a mottled, snake-like pattern. Young snakeheads may be golden brown or pale gray, darkening as they grow older. Such as the Crayfish in Amsterdam, or the LionFish in Florida. The Northern Snakehead doesn't belong here. The Lionfish has no natural enemies in our nature, this destroys the biological balance of our nature and this also applies to Northern Snakehead fish. The LionFish only lives in water but the Northern Snakehead fish (also the Crayfish) can also be found on land. It eats everything it wants to eat with catastrophic consequences for animals but also plants. Did you know that a female can lay 100,000 eggs a year and can double its population in as few as 12 to 15 months?

Did you know that in Amsterdam they just eat their unwanted guests in delicious Michelin star menus? You can also eat the Snakehead fish, in China, this is just a delicacy. The Northern Snakehead can breathe air and may survive for days out of the water using an air bladder that works similar to a lung. A supranational organ and a bifurcated ventral aorta allow them to breathe air.

Only young Northern Snakeheads can move across short distances over land using wiggling motions the adults are too heavy and can't move on land. Did you know they have a lifespan of 3-8 years in the wild? They are known to be highly aggressive towards their prey and usually hunt by chasing, attacking and biting. They are armed with razor-sharp small teeth.

There are 28 types of Snakeheads so how do you recognize the Northern Snakehead fish? Did you know that the Northern Snakehead fish is very similar to the Native Bowfin, which can be easily distinguished from snakeheads by a shorter anal fin and a rounded tail fin? Northern snakeheads are long, thin fish with a single fin running the length of the back. They are generally brown with large, dark blotches along their sides and can grow up to three feet long. They have a somewhat flattened head and a large mouth with many teeth. The Native Bowfin has an Eyespot at the tail and the Northern Snakehead not. It's fair to say that the Northern Snakehead has similarities of the anaconda snake but it's no snake but a fish.

Did you know that Northern snakeheads are used to freshwater that they are unable to tolerate saltwater? Did you know the world record size of the northern snakehead is 19.9 lb, with a length of 35.157 inches? It was found in Charles County, Maryland.

When you caught the Northern Snakehead fish report it to your regional NYS DEC fisheries office but don't throw it back in the water. Remember I asked in the beginning why Georgia and wildlife officials want you to kill Northern Snakehead fish?

- They are on top of the food chain. They don't have enemies except for large birds but that isn't enough to keep it in balance;
- They can double its population in as few as 12 to 15 months;
- They don't belong here.