Snake+Head

=Snakehead Fish (//Channidae//)=

__General Information__
The Northern Snakeheads are long and cylindrical with enlarged scales on their head, hence the name snakehead. They have a large mouth with a protruding lower jaw that typically contains canine like teeth. Most snakeheads grow up to two or three feet, with the largest snakehead being recorded at four feet in length. (1)

__Detailed Description (Life Cycle/Reproduction)__
A snakehead reachs sexual maturity at age two or three. Snakeheads can mate as often as five times a year. The female snakehead can release up 15,000 eggs at once, so within just two years a female can lay up to 150,000 eggs. (2)

__Habitat and Distribution__
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_1HmUY5EOo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmU7etSYYqI

Snakeheads can live in water and on land. Snakeheads can breathe air unlike any other fish using a primitive lung above their gills. On land snakeheads can rhythmically move their bodies back and forth to move from once place to another. (2)

__Impacts__
Snakeheads can cause ecological damage because they are top level predators, meaning they have no natural enemies outside of their native enivironment. They can migrate on wet land to other bodies of water by wiggling their bodies and they can live up to four days on land. Snakeheads feed on everything from plankton to frogs to even small mammals such as rats. Snakeheads made their first known appearance in Crofton, Maryland in 2002 and have been showing up in ponds and reservoirs all over the United States. (1)

__History__
Snakeheads are native to South East Asia. Snakeheads that were found in the United States orginated from fish markets. Asian snakehead is a popular food in South East Asia and is also common in Asian food markets in the rest of the world. Currently, snakeheads are being sold in live fish food markets and some restaurants in Boston and New York. Live specimens have been confiscated by authorities in Alabama, California, Florida, Kentucky, Texas and Washington. (3)



__Control Measures__
Snakeheads may be exterminated by applying herbicides to ponds to eliminate aquatic vegetation. The death of aquatic plants causes oxgen levels to drop and subsequently kill the snakeheads. (1)

__References__
1. "Snakeheads-- The Newest Aguatic Invader". July 2002; Lexile Score: __1220__; 9K, SIRS Government Reporter 2. "Channidae" __wikipedia.__ 15 November 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channidae 3. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/predatory/snakehead.php