Invasive Species Research Project  Name: ​Matilda Wethington  

 
Select one of the following 
• Burmese Python  
species:  
• Cane Toad  
•Kudzu  
• European/Common Rabbit  
• Black Rat  
• Nile Perch  
• Asian Tiger Mosquito  
• Cotton Whitefly  
• Snakehead Fish  
• Asian Longhorned Beetle  

SPECIES I CHOSE:Nile Perch 

RESEARCH:  

Describe the species: ​One of the largest freshwater fish, the nile perch is closely 
related to the snook and barramundi. The nile perch can be up to 6.5 feet long 
and can weigh 300lbs. Juvenile nile perch are mottled brown and silver, and by 
the time they are about a year old, they are completely silver. From then on, they 
begin to develop a brownish green to brown color, with a silver underbelly. Their 
first dorsal fin can have seven or eight spikes, with their second dorsal fin 
having one or two spikes, and twelve to thirteen branched rays. Larger nile perch 
have distended bellies and a wide girth.  

Describe the ​original ​ecosystem in which the species belongs :​ The nile perch is 
native to the lower nile. The nile flows northward through north Africa, and 
empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The nile perch enjoys a moderate to warm 
climate, and they need an ample food supply to keep the population alive. The 
nile used to have fishing locations for the nile perch, and the government 
thought they should be introduced to Lake Victoria, because of how the similar 
the climate is to the nile. They were introduced to lake Victoria for sport, and 
they arrived to Lake Victoria in the fifties and sixties.  

Answer the following questions:  

1. What are the species’ natural predators?​ The nile perch is an apex predator, and 
has no natural predators. 

2. What does the species naturally eat? (Where does it get its energy?)​ The nile 
perch, being a versatile predator, will eat insects, mollusks, crustaceans, and 
fish. 

3. What abiotic factors does this species require? (water, temperature, sun 
exposure, etc.) ​ The nile perch must have water, and they prefer the temperature to 
be 82.7 to 89 degrees, but will survive in water a few degrees hotter or colder. 
 
 
 
 
 
3.)Describe how the species was transmitted to the ecosystem in which it is 
considered invasive: ​The Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria in the 
fifties and sixties. They were mainly placed there by fishermen, who wanted to 
boost commercial fishing in that area. However, their plan backfired horribly, 
and the nile perch caused the cichlid species to almost go extinct. 
 
 
 
 
__________________________________________________________ 
Describe the ​new ​ecosystem in which the species belongs Answer the following 
questions:  
1. What are the species’ new predators? ​The nile perch has no natural predators as 
it is an apex predator. 
 
2. What does the species new food sources? (Where does it get its energy?)​ The nile 
perch has been able to survive for so long in Lake Victoria partly because it has 
the same food sources as it did in the Nile. The nile perch feeds off of 
insects,Mollusks, crustaceans, and other fish​ . 
 
 
3. What factors in this new ecosystem have allowed the species to thrive? ​The 
temperature of the water is perfect for the nile perch, with the temperature being 
around 84 and 79 degrees fahrenheit.  
 
Find another species (plant or animal) that is affected by your species:  
 
Name of the other species:​The Cichlid  
 
 
How is this species’ life different since the introduction of your species:  
The cichlid population of Lake Victoria has suffered greatly during the last 
century.The cichlids suffered an overfishing problem before the nile perch was 
introduced to Lake Victoria, and since many families depended on the cichlid, 
specifically the Ngege species, the human population around that area began to 
decline. In the fifties and sixties, the government decided to add nile perch to 
the area, because they were bigger and easier to catch, but also because they would 
eat the cichlids and the humans could eat the cichlids through the bigger, easier 
to catch fish. 
The cichlids has a simple lifestyle before human intervention. They are a small 
fish, and didn’t suffer an overfishing problem before the ninteenhundreds. 
 
 
 
Would you consider your species “invasive” or just “non native?” Why?  
I would consider the nile perch to be invasive because of their vast impact on 
the natural fish species of Lake Victoria. All in all, they eliminated at least 
two-hundred species and caused several hundred more to become endangered. 
 
 
 
 
___________________________________________________________ 
Include all sources: (Must be cited MLA) 
 
SOURCES:​ Tysinger, Emma. “Nile Perch Impact on Humans and Cichlids.” Prezi, 4 Oct. 2015, 
prezi.com/om9mxz6ktyc0/nile-perch-impact-on-humans-and-cichlid-fish/.19 Feb.2019 
 
“Impact of an Invasive Species”,​ National Geographic Society,​National Geographic, jan 
22,2015,​https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/impact-invasive-species/​ Feb 20,2019 
 
Seatemperature.info. “World Sea Water Temperatures.” World Sea Water Temperatures, seatemperature.info/. 
 
Hurst, Harold Edwin, et al. “Nile River.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 Jan. 
2019, www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River. 
 
Pringle, and Robert M. “Origins of the Nile Perch in Lake Victoria.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 
Sept. 2005, academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/55/9/780/286121. 
 
Schultz, Ken. “Facts About the Life and Behavior of Nile Perch.” Thoughtco., Dotdash, 1 Feb. 2019, 
www.thoughtco.com/species-profile-nile-perch-3572501. 
 
“Nile Perch.” National Invasive Species Information Center, 
www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/profile/nile-perch.