Florida fears it may have a giant invasive monster on its hands

A colossal freshwater fish that can reach up to 10 feet in length has mysteriously washed up on a shoreline in Florida. The arapaima is a predatory fish native to the Amazon, but one was found dead on the shore of Jaycee Park in Cape Coral. That's a long, long way from the Amazon river in South America, and local wildlife officials fear that if the species is attempting to establish itself in the Sunshine State, it could be devastating for many native species that simply can't contend with a 10-foot predatory that weighs hundreds of pounds.

As the Sun-Sentinel reports, the dead fish found along the Caloosahatchee River is the first ever found in the state, so it doesn't leave officials with much information to go on. It was perhaps not fully grown but appeared to be large enough that it was of reproductive age, and that means it could be one of many.