Killer Shrimp Found in UK Waters, Scientist Devastated
September 15th, 2010 - 11:16 pm ICT by Angela Kaye Mason
Sep 15 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A report issued on Monday has upset many researchers, since a killer shrimp with the scientific name Dikerogammarus villosus has been discovered in the UK water reservoir, which has caused a great deal of concern for scientists and researchers, since the species is very invasive and can cause many issues for the local ecosystems.
The shrimp is not native to the area, but naturally lives in the steppe region which is located between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, and most likely came to be in the Western Europe area by way of the Danube River, according to ‘BBC’.
Their arrival is not a welcomed one, since these creatures eat a great number of freshwater invertebrates, including other shrimp, damselflies, water boatmen, and other small fish. All of these live naturally in the waters of Britain.
The killer shrimp are known to stalk their prey aggressively, and will often leave an uneaten carcass behind after the hunt. Several species in the area have been made extinct by these shrimp.
Dr Paul Leinster, who is the head of UK’s Environment Agency stated to ‘BBC’, We are devastated that this shrimp has been found in Britain. We are currently establishing the degree of the problem, and whether the shrimp is only in Grafham Water or if it is in nearby lakes and the Great Ouse as well.”
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Tags: black sea, carcass, caspian sea, damselflies, danube river, dr paul, environment agency, europe area, great ouse, invertebrates, killer shrimp, leinster, nearby lakes, several species, small fish, uk water, uk waters, water boatmen, water reservoir, western europe