Giant snakehead
Encyclopedia
The giant snakehead or giant mudfish (Channa micropeltes) is the largest in the family Channidae
, capable of growing to over 1 meter in length (3.3 feet) and a weight of over 20 kilograms (44 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 "fish" in both Indonesian
and Malay
). The giant snakehead is known in Thai language
as Pla Chado .
Being a high level predator means that the giant snakehead eats almost everything in its way such as fish, amphibians and even small birds, but is not preyed upon by many other species because of the snakedhead's feared reputation. The giant snakehead is considered gregarious, with the young often following their mother closely. There have been reports of protective mother giant snakehead attacking men who have disturbed the snakehead's school of juveniles.
The species has the ability to crawl onto land and breathe air, although they are only able to do this in muddy or swampy areas, hence the nickname "mudfish".
Its ability to breathe air using a primitive lung located just behind the gills allows it to survive in stagnant water where oxygen levels are low, by coming to the surface and taking a small gulp of air. It also enables the snakehead to travel short distances on land, although it is unable to hunt while on land, as it cannot support itself at all with its small fins in comparison to its large body.
, known locally as the toman, while in Indonesia
are called gabus or haruan (not to be confused with another species of smaller snakehead known as the common snakehead also called haruan), are cultured in fish ponds and reservoirs as game fish because they put up a strong fight when hooked. The giant snakehead is also a good food fish, and is often served in Chinese restaurant
s.
In Thailand
this fish is prepared in a variety of ways, especially barbecue
d, being a common food item offered by street vendors.
In various Asian cultures it is believed that eating this fish will help in healing of the body, for example, after an operation or severe cuts and scrapes.
The giant snakehead is found in Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and possibly Burma. It has an oddly disjunctive distribution
, inhabiting both Southeast Asia and southwest India, about 2500 km apart. It is theorized that the Indian population may be from an early human introduction, prior to the 19th century.
In India it is found in southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala
especially in Pechipparai, Chittar I & II, Neyyar and Temnalai Reservoirs. Ebanasar (1995) reported its distribution and Biology from these reservoirs.
Ebanasar (1995) has also conducted series of experiments on the biology, physiology and culture of this fish. It is reported that this fish is highly suitable for cage culture and culture in ponds in combination with tilapia. It is found to be an effective tool in controlling the overpopulation of tilapia and thus checks stunted growth of tilapia.
There have been reports of the giant snakehead in already six of the US states including Wisconsin, Maryland, and parts of Virginia.
, USA all believed to have been released pets. In 2003, a giant snakehead was caught in Rock River, Wisconsin
. Biologists were concerned that warmwater effluents could allow the tropical species to survive in the colder climate.
In 2010, a giant snakehead was found dead on the shores of the St. Charles river, in Quebec City (Canada). It was obviously an aquarium release.
on the River Witham
in Lincolnshire
, England
. The claim of this catch is highly peculiar as it was reportedly caught in late winter, and, being a tropical species it would not have been able to survive, let alone feed in an English river during winter. A source within the Environment Agency
was quoted as saying “The reaction was, 'Oh s***'. This is the ultimate invasive species — if it starts breeding here it's a disaster." However, it was later determined to be a hoax; the fish had actually been found dead in a street.
Ebanasar J. and V.Jayaprakas 1995b. Culture of three species of murrels with mossambique tilapia at three predator-prey densities in earthen ponds. J. Aqua . Trop. 10: 221-229.
Ebanasar J. and V.Jayaprakas 1996. Food utilization of Channa micropeltes (Channidae: Pisces) fed three diets of animal origin. Indian J. Exp. Biol. 34:1261–1264.
Ebanasar J. and V. Jayaprakas 2000 Influence of predator size on satiation and gastric evacuation of a predatory fish Channa micropeltes. Indian Journal of Comparative animal Physiology 18 : 44-55
Ebanasar, J. and V. Jayaprakas. 2000. Feeding ecology of Channa micropeltes from Pechipparai reservoir. Recent trends in life sciences, Trivandrum. Abstracts pp 89.
Ebanasar, J., B.D.Sheeja and R.Narayanan 2001. Nutritive value and Bio-chemical composition of selected freshwater fishes. Journal of Social Medicine 55-57.
Ebanasar. J and V. Jayaprakas (2003) Growth and food utilization of Juvenile giant murrel Channa marulius and striped murrel Channa striatus fed with diets of animal origin. Symposium on physiological approaches to conserve biodiversity and to tackle environmental health hazards. Indian Society for comparative animal physiology. Tirupati.
Jayaprakas. V and J.Ebanasar (2003) Enzymes activity in the alimentary canal of malabar snake head Channa micropeltes fed with different diets. Symposium on physiological approaches to conserve biodiversity and to tackle environmental health hazards. Indian Society for comparative animal physiology. Tirupati.
Ebanasar J and V. Jayaprakas (2005) Length weight relationship of the Malabar snakehehead Channa micropeltes from Pechipparai reservoir, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu J. Inland Fish. Soc. India 37(1): 60-63
Channidae
The Snakeheads are members of the freshwater perciform fish family Channidae, native to Africa and Asia. These elongated predatory fish are distinguished by a long dorsal fin, large mouth and shiny teeth. They breathe air with a suprabranchial organ, a primitive form of a labyrinth organ...
, capable of growing to over 1 meter in length (3.3 feet) and a weight of over 20 kilograms (44 pounds). It is widely distributed in the freshwater of South East Asia and some regions of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Other names include red snakehead, redline snakehead, Malabar snakehead, and Ikan toman (where ikan is "fish" in both Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
and Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
). The giant snakehead is known in Thai language
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
as Pla Chado .
Biology
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 redness, and instead develop a bluish black and white pattern on their upper body. Juveniles sold in the aquarium fish trade are commonly called red snakeheads.The species has the ability to crawl onto land and breathe air, although they are only able to do this in muddy or swampy areas, hence the nickname "mudfish".
Its ability to breathe air using a primitive lung located just behind the gills allows it to survive in stagnant water where oxygen levels are low, by coming to the surface and taking a small gulp of air. It also enables the snakehead to travel short distances on land, although it is unable to hunt while on land, as it cannot support itself at all with its small fins in comparison to its large body.
Use as food
In Malaysia and SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, known locally as the toman, while in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
are called gabus or haruan (not to be confused with another species of smaller snakehead known as the common snakehead also called haruan), are cultured in fish ponds and reservoirs as game fish because they put up a strong fight when hooked. The giant snakehead is also a good food fish, and is often served in Chinese restaurant
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
s.
In Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
this fish is prepared in a variety of ways, especially barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
d, being a common food item offered by street vendors.
In various Asian cultures it is believed that eating this fish will help in healing of the body, for example, after an operation or severe cuts and scrapes.
In Aquarium
The giant snakehead, normally called red or redline snakeheads are a popular fish to be sold in the pet trade. They are commonly sold as juveniles as pets. Some are even sold as feeders to be fed to larger carnivorous fish. Generally peaceful while young, they grow into voracious predators that will chase and eat anything that fits in their mouth. Due to this they are mostly called "freshwater great whites". However, they can successfully be housed with silver arowanas, clown knife fishes, oscars, and other fish from said size group.Distribution
Disjunctive population
A disjunctive population, in ecology, is a colony of plants or animals, whose geographical locus is severed from the continuous range of the bulk of the species distribution. Although a disjunctive population may sometimes occur on an island, which creates physical separation via water, a large...
, inhabiting both Southeast Asia and southwest India, about 2500 km apart. It is theorized that the Indian population may be from an early human introduction, prior to the 19th century.
In India it is found in southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
especially in Pechipparai, Chittar I & II, Neyyar and Temnalai Reservoirs. Ebanasar (1995) reported its distribution and Biology from these reservoirs.
Ebanasar (1995) has also conducted series of experiments on the biology, physiology and culture of this fish. It is reported that this fish is highly suitable for cage culture and culture in ponds in combination with tilapia. It is found to be an effective tool in controlling the overpopulation of tilapia and thus checks stunted growth of tilapia.
There have been reports of the giant snakehead in already six of the US states including Wisconsin, Maryland, and parts of Virginia.
As an invasive species
In 2002 and 2003, three specimens were caught in MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, USA all believed to have been released pets. In 2003, a giant snakehead was caught in Rock River, Wisconsin
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
. Biologists were concerned that warmwater effluents could allow the tropical species to survive in the colder climate.
In 2010, a giant snakehead was found dead on the shores of the St. Charles river, in Quebec City (Canada). It was obviously an aquarium release.
Hoax
In 2008, a specimen of C. micropeltes was reportedly caught by an angler while fishing for pikeEsox
Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...
on the River Witham
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The claim of this catch is highly peculiar as it was reportedly caught in late winter, and, being a tropical species it would not have been able to survive, let alone feed in an English river during winter. A source within the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
was quoted as saying “The reaction was, 'Oh s***'. This is the ultimate invasive species — if it starts breeding here it's a disaster." However, it was later determined to be a hoax; the fish had actually been found dead in a street.
Further reading
Ebanasar, J. and V. Jayaprakas. 1995a. Cage culture a conservation strategy for an endangered murrel Channa micropeltes. Proceedings of VII Kerala Science Congress, Palakad. pp 104–107Ebanasar J. and V.Jayaprakas 1995b. Culture of three species of murrels with mossambique tilapia at three predator-prey densities in earthen ponds. J. Aqua . Trop. 10: 221-229.
Ebanasar J. and V.Jayaprakas 1996. Food utilization of Channa micropeltes (Channidae: Pisces) fed three diets of animal origin. Indian J. Exp. Biol. 34:1261–1264.
Ebanasar J. and V. Jayaprakas 2000 Influence of predator size on satiation and gastric evacuation of a predatory fish Channa micropeltes. Indian Journal of Comparative animal Physiology 18 : 44-55
Ebanasar, J. and V. Jayaprakas. 2000. Feeding ecology of Channa micropeltes from Pechipparai reservoir. Recent trends in life sciences, Trivandrum. Abstracts pp 89.
Ebanasar, J., B.D.Sheeja and R.Narayanan 2001. Nutritive value and Bio-chemical composition of selected freshwater fishes. Journal of Social Medicine 55-57.
Ebanasar. J and V. Jayaprakas (2003) Growth and food utilization of Juvenile giant murrel Channa marulius and striped murrel Channa striatus fed with diets of animal origin. Symposium on physiological approaches to conserve biodiversity and to tackle environmental health hazards. Indian Society for comparative animal physiology. Tirupati.
Jayaprakas. V and J.Ebanasar (2003) Enzymes activity in the alimentary canal of malabar snake head Channa micropeltes fed with different diets. Symposium on physiological approaches to conserve biodiversity and to tackle environmental health hazards. Indian Society for comparative animal physiology. Tirupati.
Ebanasar J and V. Jayaprakas (2005) Length weight relationship of the Malabar snakehehead Channa micropeltes from Pechipparai reservoir, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu J. Inland Fish. Soc. India 37(1): 60-63