[DNR] Bowfin mistaken as snakeheads Start Date: 6/27/2012 Start
Time: 12:00 AM End Date: 6/27/2012 End Time: 11:59 PM When a
Fort Wayne angler caught two odd-looking fish from the Pigeon
River in LaGrange County, he thought they were snakeheads, an
invasive species that biologists fear could wreak havoc on
native fish. But as has happened with other reports of what
someone thought were snakeheads, the dark green, slimy, toothy
fish that 27-year-old Jeremy Hennen caught were not the exotic
predator from Asia. They were run-of-the-mill bowfinĂ˘â‚¬â€ťor
what some anglers call dogfish. The mistake is easy to make.
Bowfin and snakeheads look alike. Both have round tails and long
dorsal fins that stretch along their backs. They each have
teeth. Both live in similar habitats and are capable of
breathing surface air by using the air bladder as a lung. Each
can survive dry periods by burying themselves in mud. In
contrast, bowfin are generally greener and have a short anal
fin. The anal fin on a snakehead extends more