There is a silent predator who is around in the American rivers and lakes. It has a long and dark body, the loose skin, a large mouth full of sharp teeth and – not negligible detail – a head that recalls that of a snake. It is not a mythological creature, but the Chana Argusbetter known as fish head of northern snake, species that in the United States is sowing restlessness.
The reason for a certain alarmism is soon explained: up to a meter and a half long, hunting aggressively – outlining as an invasive alien species, serious threat to biodiversity – and also has the singular ability to breathe atmospheric air. Yes, it can get out of the water, and can survive for days on the mainland.
A disturbing, and increasingly widespread presence
Originally from Eastern Asia – in particular of the rivers of China and Manchuria – the snake head fish was sighted for the first time in the United States in 2002, in a Maryland pond. Since then his advance has never stopped. Today colonizes the waters of states such as New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Missouri and even western Virginia.
How has it arrived so far? The story, as often happens, is twisted. Before being officially declared an environmental threat, the Chana Argus was quietly sold in fish markets, animals and even cities restaurants such as Boston and Saint Louis. Someone will have bought it to cook it, someone else to free him – perhaps in good faith – in a nearby pond. But once the fish entered the waterways, he did the rest alone.
A monster … from manual
It is not only the appearance of fear. The problem is that this fish is serious. He lives in stagnant and little oxygenated waters – marshes, ponds, canals – where he camouflages himself between the muddy backdrops and the aquatic vegetation, moves silently, it starts with surgical precision and tears the prey with sharp teeth. Eat everything: larvae, crustaceans, amphibians, small reptiles, birds, even mammals. THE native fish? They are his favorite diet.
And it did not end here, given that the females lay up to 50,000 eggs, which hatch over two days. Parents actively protect the offspring, the little ones grow quickly, and within an environment in which natural predators are missing, the snake head fish turns into an unstoppable machine: dominant, ravenous and extremely efficient.
It can walk. And breathe air
If it were just an aquatic super-predator, the problem would already be serious. In addition, The Channa Argus is also an amphibious medium: It has a particular organ, called an overbranchial organ, which allows it to absorb oxygen from the air, which means that it can survive out of the water even for whole days.
In periods of drought, young specimens even manage to “crawl” from one body of water to another, one of the reasons why fish is so difficult to contain.
The US environmental authorities have launched a sort of appeal: if you see one, do not let it go, but kill him without hesitation. In some American states – including New York, California, Texas and Washington – possession, sale and transport of this animal are already prohibited by law.
The response of the authorities: between alarms and strategies
The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the federal agency that deals with wildlife, confirmed that “the total eradication is unlikely, but with the help of citizens we can contain the threat”. In fact, sports fishing has proved to be an effective tool: in some areas it has made it possible to reduce the populations of Chana Argus by 25%.
A number that may seem modest, but which in this context represents a not very little milestone, because the snake head fish is not only a danger to biodiversity, but also a threat of an economic nature: the municipalities that live in tourism linked to sport fishing risk seeing their reset resources, and a compromised ecosystem means less autochthonous fish, less tourists, less revenues.
Ecological damage that is difficult to reversible
The damage that this species can cause local ecosystems is profound. The snake head of snake alters the food chains, supplants local predators and transforms biological balances. Where it arrives, leave a mark. The young people, already as a child, feed on Zooplankton, larvae and aquatic invertebrates, interfering with the early stages of the development of many native species, while adults, larger and more aggressive, are apical predators capable of modifying the dynamics of entire basins.
And the fact that they can resist drought and move from one point to another makes them particularly difficult to circumscribe. A full -blown environmental emergency, which requires not only local interventions, but a coordinated and systemic vision.
The left charm of the perfect predator
The snake head of snake perfectly embodies the idea of a nature that, moved and distorted by man, takes over. A predator built to dominate, resist and survive, a sort of “natural invader” that adapts and imposes itself, leaving behind everything else.
But this is not a National Geographic saga. It is a real, urgent problem. And behind the horror for the monster with a snake head, there is a question that returns: how much can we still allow us to play with natural balances without paying the price?
The introduction of alien species It is one of the main causes of loss of biodiversity in the world.
Map of sightings in the United States
According to the data collected by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the Channa Argus was reported in the following states: California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachussets, City of New York (at the Meadow Lake of Queens), North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, Lousiana, Virginia, Arkansas, New Jersey, Delaware, Delaware, Mississippi, Alaska, Hawai and Puerto Rico.
For a detailed and updated view of the sightings, it is possible to consult the interactive map – which we have placed as an image at the beginning of the paragraph – provided by the USGS, the geological service of the United States, which shows the geographical distribution of the confirmed sightings of the northern snake head fish, highlighting the areas where the species has been reported and monitored.
The diffusion of the Channa Argus in the United States represents a serious threat to aquatic biodiversity. The authorities continue to monitor the situation and implement measures to contain the expansion of this invasive species, and in this sense the collaboration of citizens is fundamental: in the event of sighting, it is important to report it to the competent authorities and follow the guidelines for the management of the species.
