Are 'Penis Fish' dangerous? Bizzare species enters the US and makes its home in Florida
After reports of penis fish washing up to California Beach in 2019, it's time for Florida to record an unsual sighting. Penis snakes have made their way to the Sunshine state and these creatures have managed to create a lot of buzz about themselves. They derive their name from their appearance as they are manhood-shaped and it wouldn't be a surprise if the state which is famous for its many beaches and beach resorts amongst other attractions will now be known for these phallic-shaped creatures as well.
Speaking about penis-shaped things that have created a lot of noise in the recent past, Jeff Bezos's space rocket was compared to the male genitalia before he took off on July 20. People on the Internet were quite ruthless with their comments for the rocket but nonetheless, it was a successful 10-minute flight to the edge of space for the former CEO and founder of Amazon and his crew. Johnson & Johnson made a lot of people laugh after they released their vaccine efficacy chart earlier this year in May. People were quick to observe that it looked like a giant penis and it immediately went viral on Twitter.
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Are penis snakes dangerous?
The penis-shaped creature was first spotted in Florida in 2019. Authorities had captured a 2 feet long specimen at the C-4 Canal near Miami Airport after which they kept it in captivity where it died of starvation. According to the New York Post, its remains were sent to the Florida Museum of Natural History for DNA analysis. It was revealed that the penile creature was not a snake but a cecilian, a tropical amphibian that looks like a slick snake or worm. These species are native to Venezuela and Colombia and have also been spotted near the Amazon basin from where they're believed to have slithered into the US for the first time.
“This was not on my radar,” herpetologist Coleman Sheehy said about the species which is considered invasive. “I didn’t think we’d one day find a caecilian in Florida. So, this was a huge surprise.” These creatures can grow up to five feet long and as much as they're freaky to look at, they aren't known to cause any harm to humans. "There’s nothing particularly dangerous about them, and they don’t appear to be serious predators,” Sheehy said adding that the only thing they prey upon is small animals.
Florida has become a hotspot for invasive flora and fauna which includes feral pigs, gorgeous lionfish, climbing fern fronds, Burmese python, and iguanas amongst others including the latest addition of penis snakes.
