The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department(TPWD)states zebras have plagued a Texas lake, however not the African range of zebras you may think. Rather, it’s an infestation of zebra mussels.
The TPWD released a declaration today stating the Amistad Tank, a man-made lake formed in 1969 by the building of Amistad Dam, is “infested” by intrusive zebra mussels. The Amistad Tank is near Del Rio, Texas, on the U.S.’s border with Mexico.
Zebra mussels are an intrusive types of freshwater mussel belonging to seas in eastern Europe. Human beings brought them to North America unconsciously, and the animals spread out from lake to lake through ballast water and infected leisure devices, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Image by Deborah Kornblut/USFWS Chris Ryan, superintendent of the Amistad National Entertainment Location, states authorities just recently detected adult zebra mussels along the location’s lakeshore, “suggesting that a recognized population exists in the lake.”
He further explains that zebra mussels can harm ecosystems, infrastructure, and fisheries.
Image by NPS/ Schaeppi To prevent the spread of intrusive zebra mussels, the TPWD motivates everybody to be good stewards (and follow Texas law) by cleaning, draining, and drying their vessels as they approach and leave public freshwater lakes.
The department likewise made this amusing and helpful video detailing how to do this:
Intrusive types are disruptive to native species by completing for resources. Given that nature requires balance, outdoor fans need to care about invasive types and do what they can to avoid them from taking hold in the wild locations they enjoy.
A reservoir in Texas is infested with zebras (not the kind you might think), and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department states it’s no great.