Channa bleheri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Channa bleheri |
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The rainbow snakehead (scientific name: Channa bleheri) is a small, colorful fish. It belongs to a group called dwarf snakeheads. This fish is special because it lives only in the Brahmaputra River basin. This river flows through the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The rainbow snakehead is known for its bright and beautiful colors.
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Where Do Rainbow Snakeheads Live?
In the wild, rainbow snakeheads mostly live in the waters of Assam, India. Local people in Assam call this fish sengeli or chengeli.
This fish is found only in the Brahmaputra River basin. Its first known location was near Dibrugarh, a city in northeastern Assam. The rainbow snakehead's closest relative is a fish called Channa burmanica. That fish lives only in northern Burma.
Why Is It Called Channa bleheri?
The scientific name of this fish, Channa bleheri, honors an explorer named Heiko Bleher. Heiko Bleher helped collect the first fish of this type. He then gave it to the scientist Jörg Vierke, who officially named the species in 1991.
What Does a Rainbow Snakehead Look Like?
The rainbow snakehead is a favorite fish for aquariums. This is because of its amazing colors, which gave it its common name. Young rainbow snakeheads, about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) long, have yellow bodies. As they grow into adults, they develop large orange or red spots.
This fish can grow up to 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) long. It is part of a group of smaller snakeheads known as dwarf snakeheads.
How Do Rainbow Snakeheads Reproduce?
Among all the dwarf snakeheads, the rainbow snakehead is unique. It is the only one that builds a nest for its eggs. Most other dwarf snakeheads are mouthbrooders, meaning they carry their eggs and young in their mouths.
Female rainbow snakeheads are smaller than males. They seem to start the courtship process. However, the male fish chooses the spot for the nest. Both parents then work together to guard their young fish, called larvae.
These fish are also known as benthopelagic creatures. This means they spend most of their time near the bottom of the rivers and streams where they live.
