Zombies Of The Sea

Another case where you have to read between the lines. It's not a cause for immediate concern? Really? These enormous bastards (doesn't seem right to call them SHRIMP?) are eating everything in their path, including the cute little shrimps we've all gotten used to eating at our local Chinese takeout joint. What's another word for cannibals? How about...zombies? Zombies are cannibals? Is this another stop on the evolutionary path that will result in the zombiefication of our planet? Of course it is! And they KNOW this, which is precisely why they are saying "don't worry, no cause for immediate concern." Because if people knew the truth they would panic and stop working. In the meantime, eat whatever shrimp you can before it's too late and they're all gone, because shrimp contain lots of nutrients that you'll need to have the energy to fight the endless onslaught of zombies before you are torn apart and eaten.

We’ve heard stories of lakes in America coming under attack from all sorts of invasive marine life, and now it looks like our oceans are under attack, too–from terrifying cannibal shrimp. Okay, so maybe cannibal shrimp aren’t terrifying, but they are becoming a problem. Asian tiger shrimp, as this 13-inch species of shrimp-eating shrimp is more commonly called, are native to the waters around Asia and Australia, but over the past few years a growing number of cannibal shrimp have turned up in the waters off American shores. The cannibal shrimp have been spotted along the east coast and the gulf coast for several years, and according to reports their numbers are growing significantly; according to a new report from the USGS, the Asian tiger shrimp population in America’s waters has increased 10 times between 2010 and 2011. “The Asian tiger shrimp represents yet another potential marine invader capable of altering fragile marine ecosystems,” NOAA marine ecologist James Morris said in a statement. “Our efforts will include assessments of the biology and ecology of this non-native species and attempts to predict impacts to economically and ecologically important species of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.” While it’s not uncommon for people to dine on the cannibal shrimp–by some accounts, tiger shrimp make for good eating–some biologists are concerned about their peculiar eating habits. And while tiger shrimp are generally considered to be safe to eat, USGS biologist Pam Fuller points out that they are “very” disease-prone. The cannibal shrimp don’t present any immediate concern, but the USGS says it will continue researching what, exactly, the cannibal shrimp are eating in American waters, and how they got there in the first place.

[the inquisitr]