Florida can add another invasive species to their list with the discovery of a fish right out of “River Monsters” and the Amazon, an Arapaima to be exact. The Amazonian fish can grow to over 10 feet long, weigh 200 pounds, and are armored like a tank. In their native range, Arapaima are dominant predators inhaling baitfish through their large mouths and are highly prized gamefish. In fact, we have several articles about targeting these insane predators in their native range in South America.
But, back to the Florida story…
Over last weekend, a Florida woman came upon the carcass of the giant fish washed up against the rocks that line the banks.
“It was bigger than my 7-year-old. I thought that is nothing I’ve ever seen before. It was kind of white with a pinkish tail.” said Leah Getts, from Cape Coral. “It had a huge kind of open bass looking kind of mouth. It didn’t look like anything I had heard of or seen before.”
The real kicker? This specific fish still had a hook embedded in its mouth.
Who knows what other exotic, invasive species have made the waters of southern Florida home, but there are likely at least a few of these Amazonian beasts rolling around somewhere…
You can see the full story from NBC2 News, here.
