ST. PAUL (AP) - Another new invasive species has arrived in Minnesota.

Two red swamp crawfish, which are native to southeastern states, were recently found in Tilde Lake, northeast of Moorhead in northwestern Minnesota.

The Department of Natural Resources says they might have been castoffs from an aquarium or a crawfish boil. It's illegal to possess them or import them into Minnesota without a permit. And it's illegal to release them into the wild or use them as bait.

DNR fisheries staffers are searching the lake to see if any others are present.

The DNR says swamp crawfish compete with native species for habitat, and they eat tadpoles, snails and other small aquatic animals. It also says their burrowing habits make them extremely difficult to remove and damage levees, dams and other water-control structures.

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