It’s been a short while since North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina alerted residents in October 2019 of a bizarre, invasive (and predatory) fish with the ability to survive for days on land. South Carolina’s warning came with a plea for those who’ve seen the invasive Northern Snakehead to ‘kill immediately.’ But what do we actually know about the Northern Snakehead and more importantly, what does it mean for North Carolina?
Let's start with its size: even if you're an avid angler, the Northern Snakehead's size is a bit intimidating. It's enormous in length — and girth.
And before we all start having visions of this rascal having huge, snake-like fangs for teeth, let's take that frightening vision right off the table. That's just not the case. (We'll cover the teeth later, complete with a creepy photo.)
The fish gets its name from the unique snake-like pattern covering its entire frame.
Next, this fish is a mouth breather! So combine the average 39 inches of a mature adult with its ability to live outside of water for days at a time, and well... it has the potential to be very intimidating. It easily scoots across grassy areas using two forward fins and the power of its overall body girth to propel it in a zig-zagging forward motion. A ginormous fish out of water that looks like a snake? No thanks!
Advertisement
But thankfully, a Northern Snakehead out of water is a rare occurrence — at least that we know of.
Last fall, however, when this invasive, predatory fish was spotted in Georgia, alarms sounded all over the South. Warnings were issued in a number of states in an attempt to curtail the spread of the Northern Snakehead which is a wicked threat to all native freshwater fish species it would be among.
Advertisement
"But where did they come from?" you ask. While there is more than one species of snakehead fish, this one, in particular, is native only to China, Russia, South Korea, and North Korea.
In the US, they've been sold at aquarium stores, where, it's believed either they're released into the wild for personal gain (apparently, they're very tasty but just don't get very big in a small aquarium), or they've been liberated by those who mean well and purchase the fish JUST to let them out of their holding tanks at the store.
It's hard to say, but it can't survive in anything other than fresh water, so lakes and ponds are a natural habitat they can thrive in, once they're introduced. (Its ability to survive on land is limited to 3-4 days.)
As if this fish wasn't already extraordinarily different from the friendly and cantankerous bass we love to reel in at local lakes and ponds, there's one more very unusual thing about the Northern Snakehead:
The females lay up to 100,000 eggs each year and those eggs can hatch in as few as 1-2 days. (But that's not the shocking part... ) The female Northern Snakehead is revered in some cultures as virtuous because the mother sacrifices itself to the newly hatched snakeheads - who reportedly begin chowing down on her immediately after they hatch. (Apparently, humans aren't the only creatures who find Northern Snakeheads tasty!)
Before we wrap up, let's do our part to save the Bowfin Snakehead - which is not considered invasive. Since the Bowfin and the Northern Snakehead look similar to one another, please observe the differences below in this illustration published by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
For now, until we get more into the swing of the spring fishing season, it's safe to say no additional news about the Northern Snakehead is good news — until it's not.
In conclusion, we promised to provide a dentist's point of view inside the mouth of this predatory fish that perhaps has the power to single-handedly (er... single-finsly?) destroy an eco system, so here it is. See? No fangs.
While no Northern Snakehead reports from fishing enthusiasts around the state have been publicized this year, the possibility of this predator already existing in (or sneaking into) local ponds and lakes still exists. It will likely always exist. If you find one, wildlife and game officials in the Tar Heel State suggest you kill it and then freeze it, or, you can simply freeze it and that will kill it. Then, report your catch to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission at (919)707-0220.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
