Snakehead fish – The Evil of Freshwater

Snakehead fish are a non-native air-breathing freshwater fish. Snakehead feed on fish. They can even eat fish of their size and also small mammals. They also eat frogs and other aquatic wildlife. The snakehead fish can survive on land for up to four days. They do not need to stay in water to survive.

Snakeheads can crawl on land very slowly but long term exposure will cause them to die eventually. They are able to breathe in the air because of an air bladder that works as a primitive lung.

Scientists fear that they might disperse parasites and diseases. Fish and Wildlife Services states that a snakehead fish carries a disease called Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome. They are still currently researching if the disease can be transferred to other species but humans can be affected by the transmission of these said parasites and diseases. These creatures are upsetting the natural order of local ecosystems.

Snakeheads often wreak havoc on the ecosystems that they have occupied. They have wiped out the local bass population. The aggressive nature of these creatures makes them dangerous to fragile ecosystems. Different species vary in size and color. They are top-level predators. They are long and cylindrical. The largest snakefish recorded is at four feet in length. It has a body like an eel and a flat snake-like head. They got their name from the enlarged scales on their head. Their mouths have protruding lower jaw and canine like teeth. These fish can bite through a steel-toed boot.

The transportation of these creatures anywhere is illegal. As a matter of fact, some states have placed a bounty on these creatures because they can devour every fish in a pond or lake where it lives if left unmonitored. Placing a bounty on these creatures in a great way to remind anglers that it is very important to catch and remove these invasive species fish.