‘Frankenfish’, Spotted In CT, Prompts New Warnings From Wildlife Czars

Community Corner ‘Frankenfish’, Spotted In CT, Prompts New Warnings From Wildlife Czars The harmful, invasive northern snakehead grows up to 3-feet long, breathes air, and can travel over land for days without water. Reply
When it’s not scaring the locals, the northern snakehead, Channa argus, has served as the inspiration for a few of straight-to-video “B” horror movies, including “Snakehead Terror” and “Frankenfish.” (Shutterstock)
CONNECTICUT — It’s a harmful, invasive species of fish with sharp teeth and python-esque skin that can travel over land for days outside of water.
It’s also been spotted in Connecticut, and 14 other states and the District of Columbia. When it’s not scaring the locals, the northern snakehead, Channa argus, has served as the inspiration for a few of straight-to-video “B” horror movies, including “Snakehead Terror” and “Frankenfish.”
Now the little monster is back in the news. After being spotted in the southeastern part of Missouri last month, wildlife biologists are advising people to be on the lookout for the toothy critter, which can grow as long as three feet in length. Snakeheads in the United States are a product of a less-ecologically savvy time. Hailing from the Yangtze River basin in China, the creatures were actually sold in pet stores up until the Lacey Act banned the import and interstate transport of dangerous animals in 2002. Unless they are guarding their eggs, snakeheads won’t usually attack like a SyFy movie star, but you won’t know where their eggs are, so experts advise playing it safe.
The other fish in the area won’t have that option. “It’s a really, really aggressive predator,” said Bill Foreman, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Fisheries Office. The northern snakehead is the apex predator in the American watering holes where it’s been loosed.
“Nothing living with that predator is near as evolved,” Foreman said. “We always want to prevent non-native species from getting a toe-hold on our ecosystems here.” Officials from the United States Geological Survey warn that, should snakeheads become established in North America, they’ll wreak havoc with the local food webs, causing a permanent disruption in the ecology.