Well this is odd.
We’ve seen some crazy footage coming out of Florida since Hurricane Ian touched down yesterday.
From sharks swimming in the middle of the road, to The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore nearly getting struck by lightning and getting smacked by a rogue tree limb, to even houses getting submerged by the high flood levels and swept of their foundations, it’s a wild scene down there.
That’s the kinda footage you’d expect to see during a hurricane…
But this right here is a little strange.
According to USA Today, hours before Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa in southwest Florida, a number of catfish began to show up in people’s driveways and yards.
USA Today Network-Florida producer Jennifer Sangalang discovered two catfish at her home in Wickham Park in Melbourne, and she doesn’t even live near a pond or lake.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, they’re believed to be walking catfish. They can breathe air and walk on pectoral fins, but are typically found in Southeast Asia.
However, they can also be found in the Florida Everglades, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. They can sometimes be found in storm drainage systems, where they can emerge during floods.
Sangalang wasn’t the only one to spot catfish in her yard, however, as Merritt Island resident Becky Blasch said she walked out of her house to find a “yard full of catfish,” saying she spotted more than 14 in her yard and even on her welcome mat.
Although typically found in South Asia, walking catfish believe to have gotten to Florida through an aquaculture facility in Palm Beach County, or a truck transporting brood fish between Miami and Broward County.
Since then, they have spread to 20 counties in 10 years, noting that their ability to spread is because it was “aided by its ability to traverse shot over land and potentially enhanced survivorship imparted by parental care of their young.”
Not gonna lie, if I saw a catfish walking down the street on its fins, I think the good Lord could just take me right there.
I would’ve seen it all.
@floridatoday Uh, thanks, #hurricaneian! Found a catfish in our driveway (and we don’t live near a lake) 🎥 by @jensangalang #ian #weirdtok #florida ♬ original sound – FLORIDA TODAY
@floridatoday #hurricaneian #catfish #florida #palmbat#y ♬ original sound – FLORIDA TODAY
