Destructive, Armored, Invasive ‘Plecos Catfish’ Found In Texas Stream

There is an invasive armored catfish that is harmful to other fish that were found in a Texas river.

Texas Parks and Wildlife wrote on Facebook:

"Researchers from Texas A&M and Texas State universities recently removed a total of 406 invasive suckermouth armored catfish (SAC; aka plecos) from the San Marcos River during a dewatering event at Rio Vista Park. Information collected from these fish will help managers to better understand how to effectively control this invasive species.

The researchers stress that people do not just throw out their aquarium fish in streams and lakes. These fish that is from South America are purchased to help keep aquariums clean and are the main reason for these invasive fish to be found in regular freshwater.

But the real question is why a fish from an aquarium be so dangerous in Texas waters? These fish can burrow in the banks and cause extensive erosion. Researchers in Florida say that hey are even causing some undue stress to the native manatees. But here is where these fish really creep me out.

According to Cool Green Science.

The suckermouth has a strong exterior and protruding spines for further protection. It can breathe outside of water for at least 20 hours and “walk” on land at roughly 2.3 miles per hour.

This sounds like something out of a horror movie. They can breathe air and walk on the land too. If a bird picks up one of these fish they may drop it many miles away because of its spiny exterior and with their walking characteristics they may walk miles to find more water.

According to the study, these fish are not only a problem in Texas but also in Florida, Nevada, and possibly Wisconsin.

Do you have any of these invasive fish in your aquarium?