Of all the things to storm a cemetery , I doubt many of us would put escape mutantcrayfishhigh on our lean and yet this is the accurate view unfolding in a graveyard in Belgium ( < infix 2020 jocularity here > ) . The fresh water invaders are similar to the Florida slough crayfish but were cover by German favourite traders in the 90s to become apomictic , meaning they can asexually reproduce to make knockoff of themselves . The mutation means that if even a undivided individual makes it into the wilderness , they can quick detonate in routine and take over rivers , streams or , as it seems , cemeteries .
Known by the species nameProcambarus virginalis , the planetary population of these ravening reproducer were recognized asdescendants of a single femaleback in 2018 , as researchers discovered they wereall femaleand did n’t need Male as they could clone themselves . The European Union put in sanctions to ban the possession and release ofP. virginalisin 2014 but tracking down guilty parties is easier say than done when all member of the species are genetically selfsame .
As such , exactly where the burying ground - dwellingcrayfishcame from is n’t clear , but it ’s suspected they were released into the wild from someone ’s private aquarium . Since their arrival , this hoard of females has firmly take up residence in the fresh water pool and streams of the Schoonselhof Cemetery in Antwerp . The crawfish are about 10 centimeters ( 4 inches ) in length and can dig a meter ( 3.3 feet ) into the land , causing pregnant gap to the integrity of the landscape and shaking up the ecosystem as their numbers surge . In true zombie apocalypse style , they bung at Nox eating whatever they can as they traverse the soil and water by moonlight .
The mutant crayfish do n’t occur in nature , a condition that would unremarkably give wildlife authorities the place to eradicate them from the wild , but the solution is not so simple when trade with an ever - increase population of self - replicating crustacean . " It ’s insufferable to assail up all of them , ” said Kevin Scheers , from the Flemish Institute for Nature and Woodland Research , to theBrussel Times . “ It ’s like trying to empty the sea with a thimble . "
The plan of activeness against the crayfish invasion is open at the time of piece of writing . alike infestation in Spain have historically been make do with using poison , but such chemical substance - base handling are n’t permitted in Belgium . For now , the female , mutant , escapee crayfish ( say to the melody ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ) are complimentary to reign supreme .
Invasive species in a calcium - carbonate - shell , crayfish power !
