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  • Rivers and lakes in Southeast Asia

    Orange-spotted snakehead

    Channa aurantimaculata

    The snakehead family includes about 50 species. They are found in Asia and Africa. The orange-spotted snakehead is found only in a small region of India, in eastern Assam. There it is common only in the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries.
    A so-called labyrinth organ in the gill chamber, which consists of a richly folded tissue with a good blood supply, enables snakeheads to breathe air. This enables them to survive on land for up to 4 days, as long as they are kept moist at the same time. They can also travel distances of up to 400 meters on land. To move around, they perform writhing movements with their bodies.

    Taxonomy Acanthopterygii, Percomorpha, Labyrinth fish, snakeheads (ca. 50 species)
    Habitat Forest streams, ponds, and swamps near the Brahmaputra River under subtropical rainforest conditions
    Social structure As monogamous pairs or solitary
    Diet Fish and crustaceans, juvenile specimens prey on insect larvae, worms and tadpoles
    Body length up to 45 cm
    Weight up to 450 g
    Clutch Mouthbrooder
    Incubation period 4 days
    Life expectancy 20 years
    Commerce seldom fishing
    Current population unknown
    At Zoo Zurich since 2023

    Distribution

    Verbreitungskarte Goldfleck-Schlangenkopffisch
    Image

    Conservation status

    IUCN RedList