Giant garfish found in a fishpond in Guangdong

A giant garfish was found on Friday in a fishpond in the city of Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, reports gmw.cn.

A policeman carries the 1.7-meter-long giant garfish in the city of Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, on December 29, 2017. [Photo: WeChat]

Police tied up the mouth of the nearly 1.7 meter long creature to prevent it from hurting people. Police said the fish had been transported from a fishpond at a factory.

According to experts, garfish are mainly found in Mexico and the southern United States. Also known as "water killers”, they are recognized as one of the world's ten most ferocious freshwater fish species.

The 1.7-meter-long giant garfish is found in a fishpond in the city of Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, on December 29, 2017. [Photo: WeChat]

Garfish were introduced to the Chinese market as an ornamental fish, and are usually very small when they live in an aquarium. However, they can grow up to three meters long in the wild.

As an invasive species, the garfish has no natural enemies and so poses a great threat to other fish. Similar to certain species of globefish, garfish reportedly produce toxic substances during their ovulation period.