What Are the Living Habits of the Snakehead Fish? A Detailed Explanation

The snakehead fish is a common fish in our country, with strong reproductive capacity, fast growth and strong adaptability, so many people farm it, and to raise snakehead fish well, you must first master its habits, so what are the habits of the snakehead fish?

1. What are the habits of the snakehead fish?

1. The snakehead fish is a fierce carnivorous fish that likes to inhabit lakes, reservoirs, rivers, ditches and ponds with lush aquatic plants and soft muddy bottoms, usually lurking at the bottom, and only moving to the middle and upper layers of the water body when feeding or when there is a lack of oxygen in the water. The snakehead fish has strong adaptability to poor water quality, water temperature and hypoxia. In addition to gills, the snakehead fish has an auxiliary respiratory organ (the suprabranchial organ), and when there is a lack of oxygen in the water, it can stick its head out of the water to directly breathe oxygen from the air; it is good at jumping, and when frightened, when water is added, or when bait is thrown, it often jumps 0.5-1.0 m out of the water.

2. The survival water temperature of the snakehead fish is 0-38°C, and the most suitable water temperature is 16-30°C. When the water temperature rises above 8°C in spring, the snakehead fish often moves in the middle and upper layers of the water body; when the water temperature drops below 6°C in autumn, it swims slowly and often lurks in deep water; when the water temperature is too low in winter, it lies dormant at the bottom of the water.

3. The snakehead fish is a carnivorous fish, and its food varies with the size of the fish body. Young fish below 3 cm mainly feed on copepods, cladocerans and chironomid larvae, while small fish with a body length of 3-8 cm mainly feed on aquatic insect larvae, maggots, small fish, small shrimp and small tadpoles. Adult fish above 20 cm mainly feed on small wild miscellaneous fish, shrimp, frogs and other carnivorous animals. When hunting, the snakehead fish does not chase, but hides near aquatic plants or other shelters, closely watching the movements around it, and when it sees fish, shrimp, frogs, etc. passing by, it quickly attacks and eats the prey.

4. The growth rate of the snakehead fish depends on the quality of the growth environment and the amount of bait food. Under natural conditions, the body length of a 1-winter-old fish can reach 19-39 cm, and its weight can reach 100-750 g; the body length of a 2-winter-old fish can reach 38-45 cm, and its weight can reach 600-1400 g. Under artificial rearing conditions, the weight can reach 250 g in the same year, and 0.5-1.0 kg the following year.

2. Is the snakehead fish the dirtiest fish in the world?

There are two claims about the dirtiest fish in the world, one is the catfish, and the other is the snakehead fish, but most claims say it is the catfish.

Why it is said to be the dirtiest fish cannot be separated from the influence of its living environment, and the snakehead fish generally, like the loach, can lie dormant in mud and sand.

It is a benthic fish, usually inhabiting still water or slightly flowing water with overgrown aquatic plants and soft bottom mud. The habitat of the snakehead fish is found throughout lakes, rivers, reservoirs, ponds and other waters. It often lurks at the bottom layer of the water, swaying its pectoral fins to maintain body balance.

It has strong adaptability to changes in environmental factors in the water body, especially to hypoxia, water temperature and poor water quality. When the water body is short of oxygen, it can expose its head above the water surface. The rear part is laterally flattened. The head is long, slightly flat and broad at the front, and slightly raised at the rear. With the help of the suprabranchial organ formed by bone plates extending from the upper branchial bone and hyomandibular bone on the dorsal side of the first gill arch in the branchial cavity, it directly breathes oxygen from the air. Therefore, even in wet areas with little water or no water, it can survive for a fairly long time. The survival water temperature of the snakehead fish is 0-41°C, and the most suitable water temperature is 16-30°C. When the water temperature reaches above 8°C in spring, it often moves in the middle and upper layers of the water body; in summer it moves in the upper layer of the water body; when the water temperature drops below 6°C in autumn, it swims slowly and often lurks in deep water; when the water temperature approaches 0°C in winter, it lies dormant in the bottom mud, stopping feeding and remaining motionless. It has a very strong jumping ability. When the weather is sultry and rain raises the water level, the snakehead fish often leaps out of the water and escapes along the pond embankment; when there is a rushing current, it will also leap and escape. If there is insufficient bait in the pond where it lives, it will also move to other ponds, and when moving, its body is snake-like and slowly moves forward. When the temperature range is 10°C-15°C, it can leave the water for up to 3-4 days.

In short, the snakehead fish has strong survival ability and grows fast, likes to eat small fish and shrimp, and likes to inhabit lakes, reservoirs, rivers, ditches and ponds with lush aquatic plants and soft muddy bottoms. Generally, after growing for 1 year, its weight can reach 100-750 g, and its body length can reach 19-30 cm.