Snakeheads?

[MrTB]

Today, on the local radio station, this guy was talking about snakeheads. Apparently these little guys are sold as fish at pet stores and when they become unmanageable the owners sometimes release them into unsuspecting waters.Once they've eaten everything available they head for land where they are not afraid to attack anything, including people. Anybody ever have an encounter with one out on the trail? Do I have to drive a wooden stake through its heart or what?

[Lockwood]

When I was in college, my buddies got into buying fish like Snakeheads, Jack Dempsy's and Osker's. They were cool because we could wath them eat other fish. One guy bought a snakehead in like 1991 or 1992. Back then it was the size of your middle finger. He still has it and it is nearly three feet long now. It eats mice, other fish and anything else that comes near the tank.

I have heard that people are releasing them when they get too big. And they can live outside water for a while, but basically they'll just flap around for several hours before they dry up and die. They're not going to grow legs and start eating people, though.

[leapfrog]

the snakehead issue has been all over the news lately. the snakeheads are, i believe, asian fish that do eat other fish and stuff. they are also able to leave one pond, and then waddle over to another (if it's close enough) in order to feed some more. it's been causing some environmental problems by eating a large number of native fish. it is an invasive species you know. anyways, the environmental agencies are having a problem figuring out how to deal with them...one genius proposed poisoning the lakes where they are found in order to kill them (and everything else in the vicinity as well). but i seriously doubt you'll be coming across one of these on the trail...unless the trail ends directly into a lake. leave your wooden stakes at home for the elusive suburban vampires.

[Old & Slow]

Additional info on the Asian Snakehead: They are an invasive species capable of eliminating all the fish in a body of water, then waddling to a new pond to do it all over again. They can live out of water for up to three days. Anyone who fishes (or enjoys water recreation) should be concerned about them because they pose a very real threat to Western hemisphere ecosystems: they have no natural enemies. Ever seen what kudzu does to a yard? These things are worse. There was a scare in Maryland about two months ago when some guy let one loose in a local pond, but I think they caught it. A very nasty species, indeed.