Wildlife Science Class - Northern Snake Head

first detected in the United States in California in 1997.
bowfin (dogfish) and burbot. Are the closest living thing to the northern snakehead
freshwater perciform fish family Channidae

This is were the snakehead is from C. a. argus (Cantor, 1842) (Northern snakehead) China and Korea.

The eyespot bowfin (Amia ocellicauda) and northern snakehead can be found in the same waters on the swampy tidal coastal plain of the mid-Atlantic United States, such as the Potomac and Delaware River, and are commonly confused with each other.
41-60 degrees Fahrenheit (5-16 degrees Celsius), they can tolerate temperatures as low as 32 F (0 C) and greater than 86 F (30 C).
Asia but an invasive species in North America

Snakehead virus has been isolated from both wild and cultured snakehead (Channidae) in southeast Asia, and is associated with an ulcerative disease

long, thin dorsal fins (the fins located on their backs) and sharp teeth. Although they look similar to bowfin, a species native to North America, northern snakeheads have a longer anal fin (the fin located on their underside, near the tail) and lack a
bony plate between their lower jaws.
can exceed 33 inches (84 centimeters) in length and can weigh up to 19 pounds (8.6 kilograms).
10 years but have been documented living as long as 15 years.
Females tend to be smaller than males, and have a shorter dorsal fin along with smaller snout and upper jaw.

Distribution

Competition

snakeheads might out-compete (and eventually displace) important native or other established predatory fish that share the same habitat.
During all of their life stages, snakehead fish compete with native species for food and habitat.
A major concern is that snakeheads out-compete (and eventually displace) important native or other established predatory fish that share the same habitat.

Reproduction

Both male and female northern snakeheads help to build a nest in shallow, stagnant water when spawning. They first clip vegetation in order to create a circular nest, then the female lays free- floating eggs at the top of the nest. The eggs are able to float in water because of their large lipid droplet that surroun
up to five times each year, releasing up to 1,500 eggs each time. Their eggs can hatch within three days.

Development

2-3 days they hatch into larvae 2-3 weeks they being to feed on small organisms once grown they continue the cycle

However, in some locations northern snakeheads have been found to grow up to 150 cm and weigh nearly 8 kg.

Females tend to be smaller than males, and have a shorter dorsal fin along with smaller snout and upper jaw.

IUCN Rating

Without natural predators, these aggressive carnivores can also outcompete native species for food and habitat, making them a threat to the function of local ecosystems.
They were first introduced to Japan from mainland Asia in the early 1900s, where they have since become a sport fish.
Northern Snakehead is listed as an injurious species under the Lacey Act, meaning it cannot be possessed or transported live. Authorities in all states are working to control snakehead populations, and prevent colonization of additional waterways.