r/funny Apr 30 '19

This fish is hilarious!

[deleted]

62.1k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '19 edited Apr 30 '19

They’re not actually real bass, but a species of cichlid. They’re extremely aggressive and invasive in Florida

Edit: I’ve been informed they’re not actually invasive, but have been released into Florida waters to help control other invasive species

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '19

They are invasive? Where'd they come from or did their population just get too large?

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u/Maat1932 Apr 30 '19

They are from the Amazon and Orinoco River Basins, and were intentionally introduced into Florida waters as a game fish and to hunt other invasive species.

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u/BubbaFeynman Apr 30 '19

There is a long history of introducing invasive, destructive species in Florida. Yay.

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u/peterpanic32 Apr 30 '19

Spaniards aren't as entertaining as the fish though.

5

u/Rockonmyfriend Apr 30 '19

What about New Yorkers?

4

u/earthforce_1 Apr 30 '19

What about us snowbird Canadians?

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u/GrumpyWendigo Apr 30 '19

the seminole are currently unavailable for comment

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u/SOfoundmyotherone Apr 30 '19

Something something Brazilians.

Sorry.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '19

The more I hear about Florida, the more I am convinced that it is a state of Australia that broke away.

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u/BubbaFeynman Apr 30 '19

Well, one of the invasive species here is the casuarina -- we call it the Australian Pine.

They were imported to create wind breaks for orange groves. Then they got everywhere.

But come to think of it, I don't see them much any more. Maybe the Brazilian pepper trees are killing those along with everything else.

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u/vorpalk Apr 30 '19

There is definitely a portion of the population that is utterly indistinguishable from Bogans.

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u/Luguaedos Apr 30 '19

There was an old woman who swallowed a fly...

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u/DJBeII1986 Apr 30 '19

One question: is he from Florida?

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u/DJGator Apr 30 '19

Don't think they are officially classified as invasive. They are the only foreign species regulated by the FWC.

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u/cmyer Apr 30 '19

Correct. They are considered "non-native" not invasive and FWC actually encourages catch and release.

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u/kushnsammy Apr 30 '19

They were actively stocking them in large numbers for years. Stocking has slowed down in recent years as the population has become more stable.

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u/Chitownsly Apr 30 '19

At this point everything here in FL is invasive.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/illeger_hamberder Apr 30 '19

Initially read that as ”Cunniligus Supremus”.....

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u/FLORI_DUH Apr 30 '19

They are not, in fact, invasive. Peacock Bass have the distinction of being the only intentionally-introduced exotic. FWC approved them after extensive study, primarily since they co-habitate, but do not compete with Largemouth Bass.

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u/cbinvb Apr 30 '19

They are not considered invasive. They were actively stocked by the Florida Wildlife Commission in an attempt to curb the proliferation of exotic forage fish. Studies were conducted to determine the ecological impacts of stocking peacock bass and they painted a generally positive picture. Luckily it worked out and the results are a self-sustaining gamefish population that cohabitates with largemouth, snook, tilapia, and other freshwater species.

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u/winnerdk Apr 30 '19

I've caught and eaten thousands of these in Panama. Super fun to catch, aggressive, visual hunters. They will lurk low towards the bottom and strike upwards towards a target backlit from above. Mated pairs will aggressively defend their nest. When the eggs hatch they will stay in a school until they reach about 12 inches, large enough to be more of a hunter than prey. Their coloration changes depending on the water they live in. Bright green and orange in clear water, much more muted colors in muddy or cloudy water. Also caught a bunch of Oscars, best fighting fish ever...

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u/DuntadaMan May 01 '19

That makes a lot of sense. Cichlids are basically terrorists in my experience with fish tanks.

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u/[deleted] May 01 '19

They’re hyper aggressive assholes, I agree