The "The Mutant That Can Clone Itself" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My brother Steve and I were talking about the times we would head to our Uncle Bob's family farm near Strasburg, Pennsylvania for summer picnics.  After dad would park the car, we would head toward the small stream at the edge of the farm to hunt for crayfish.  Shed the socks and sneakers and walk through the cool water, turning over rock after rock hoping that under one of them we would uncover the elusive crayfish.  Those were the best of times when we were carefree kids.  Times that will remain with us for a lifetime.  For many of you, these crustaceans might be referred to as crawfish.  One way or another, they still look the same and are fun to catch.  

The good ole crayfish.

They can be held in the palm of your hand, but beware, they do have pinchers that can give you a good pinch and perhaps draw blood.  There are over 330 species of crayfish that are found in the east and southeast part of North America.  Recently I read of a new species of mutant crayfish that can clone itself.  It's called the marbled crawfish and it is spreading all over the globe.  

The marbled crawfish.

A German biologist at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg is studying the 6-inch crawfish and says it is one of the most remarkable species known to man.  25 years ago it didn't exist until one mutation in a single crawfish produced the marbled crawfish in an instant.  The mutation made it possible for the crawfish to clone itself and now it has spread throughout Europe.  It arrived in Madagascar in 2007 and now numbers in the millions and is threatening native species of crayfish.  The mutant species is much larger than previous crayfish and it can lay enormous batches of eggs numbering in the hundreds.  And the crawfish doesn't need to mate.  All of the marbled crawfish are female and each grow up and reproduce.  They are making clones of themselves!  And, they are spreading rapidly.  Should we be worried?  I haven't found an answer to that question yet, but if they take over the streams and lakes all over the world, they may do the same thing that the lionfish is doing throughout the world.  

The scary and venomous lionfish.

The lionfish is a predator with venomous spines and has invaded Caribbean coral reefs and is eating native species.  They came to the Carribean from an aquarium release off the coast of Florida in the early 1990s.  Many are hoping they can be controlled before they make other species of fish extinct.  

The scary snakefish.

A few years ago while snorkeling I saw a few of them and they are pretty scary.  Decided to call it quits after seeing them, since I have no idea what they can to to humans.  And then, in the newspaper a few days ago, was a story about the snakefish who have now been found in local freshwater streams and lakes.  The are elongated, predatory fish that look like snakes.  They breathe air with gills which allow them to migrate short distances over land.  They can totally take over a stream by eating all the natural food that other species of fish would eat.  These fish look scary to me, so I can see why smaller fish may fear them. At least, I can handle the marbled crayfish!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.