Last month the scientists from Texas Parks and Wildlife collected over 400 South America armored catfish from the San Marcos River in Texas. They suspect the invasive species is a result of aquarium owners dumping this common tank cleaning fish into local waters.
These catfish can grow rapidly and survive out of water for more than 20 hours with no natural Texan predators. Invasive species like this have already caused native fish population to be affected, as well as contributed to increased erosion due to the burrows they make in riverbanks.
If these fish continue to spread the community will have the cleanest water canals in the state.
