Species profile
Northern Snakehead
Channa argus
At a glance
Northern Snakehead (Channa argus) is a bony-fish species with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 65 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.
Confirmed by 703 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Can breathe atmospheric air using a specialized suprabranchial chamber, surviving out of water for several days if kept moist.
- An invasive species in the U.S., first confirmed in a Maryland pond in 2002.
- Grows up to 33 inches (85 cm) and can weigh over 15 pounds.
- Adults are apex predators that eat fish, frogs, crayfish, and occasionally small birds or mammals.
- Can wriggle short distances overland, helping it colonize new water bodies.
Where Northern Snakehead are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Northern Snakehead
Background
The northern snakehead is a species of snakehead fish native to temperate East Asia, in China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. Their natural range goes from the Amur River watershed in Siberia and Manchuria down to Hainan. It is an important food fish and one of the most cultivated in its native region, with 510,000 tonnes annual production worldwide.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Northern Snakehead article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other bony fish on CatchRules
Photo credit: (c) Brian Gratwicke, some rights reserved (CC BY). Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.