The giant snakehead or or giant mudfish (Channa micropeltes) is the largest in the family Channidae, capable of growing to over 1 meter in length (3 feet) and a weight of over 20 kilograms (40 pounds). It is widely distributed in the freshwater of South East Asia and some regions of India. Other names include red snakehead, redline snakehead, Malabar snakehead, and Ikan toman (where ikan is Indonesian for fish). The giant snakehead is known in Th...
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The giant snakehead or or giant mudfish (Channa micropeltes) is the largest in the family Channidae, capable of growing to over 1 meter in length (3 feet) and a weight of over 20 kilograms (40 pounds). It is widely distributed in the freshwater of South East Asia and some regions of India. Other names include red snakehead, redline snakehead, Malabar snakehead, and Ikan toman (where ikan is Indonesian for fish). The giant snakehead is known in Thai language as Pla Chado (Thai: ปลาชะโด).
The young of the giant snakehead are red in color, with orange and black lateral stripes appearing after about two months. As the giant snakehead matures, they lose their stripes and instead develop a bluish black and white pattern on their upper body. Juveniles sold in the aquarium fish trade are commonly called red or redline snakeheads.
Being a high level predator means that the giant snakehead eats many other fish, amphibians and even small birds, but is not preyed upon by many other species. The...
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