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Writer's pictureDylan Le

How Snakeheads Have Impacted Many Native Species Across Many States

Updated: 6 days ago

What is a snakehead?

A snakehead is a fish that originated from Asia. This invasive fish has a brown elongated body with dark spots. The fish uses its sharp teeth to hunt prey like frogs, insects, and fish. Some unique aspects about this fish is its ability to breathe regular air when it’s out of the water and it can somewhat walk on land with its fins. This allows the snakehead to go from one pond to another.


Class: Telostei

Order: Perciformes

Family: Channidae

Genus and species: Chana argus 


Image by zoosnow via Pixabay


What is an invasive species?

An invasive species is any foreign organism introduced that has spread rapidly and is causing major harm to ecosystems, economy, and/or human health. According to USGS, “Should snakeheads become established in North American ecosystems, their predatory behavior could also drastically disrupt food webs and ecological conditions, thus forever changing native aquatic systems by modifying the array of native species.” 


What are we doing to combat this?

In many states it is illegal to distribute or own snakeheads because of the Lacey Act. If you see snakeheads in your area, it is recommended to report this to your state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The state of Maryland required that anglers must kill snakeheads if caught. This fish can also be eaten, in fact it is a delicacy in many Asian countries. Although not very popular among American anglers, more and more people are starting to eat snakeheads.



Works Cited

Cermele, J. (2023, July 20). Can you eat snakehead? Outdoor Life. https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/can-you-eat-snakehead-fish/#:~:text=Snakeheads%20have%20been%20a%20popular,reason%20they%20ended%20up%20here.

Northern snakehead fish. (n.d.). Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/northern-snakehead-fish#:~:text=Northern%20snakehead%20fish%20are%20typically,their%20backs)%20and%20sharp%20teeth.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (n.d.). Northern snakehead fish. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/northern-snakehead-fish#:~:text=To%20combat%20the%20spread%20of,where%20their%20sale%20is%20prohibited.

What is an invasive species and why are they a problem? | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). USGS.gov | Science for a changing world. https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-invasive-species-and-why-are-they-a-problem#:~:text=An%20invasive%20species%20is%20an%20introduced,%20nonnative,expand%20its%20range%20from%20the%20site%20of

What are the potential effects of snakeheads to our waters?. What are the potential effects of snakeheads to our waters? | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-potential-effects-snakeheads-our-waters#:~:text=Should%20snakeheads%20become%20established%20in,the%20array%20of%20native%20species. 



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