Chitala chitala facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chitala chitala |
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| A Chitala chitala from Karachi, Pakistan | |
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The Chitala chitala is a cool fish often called the Indian featherback or Indian knifefish. It's a type of knifefish found in rivers across countries like Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. You can spot it in big rivers like the Brahmaputra, Indus, Ganges, and Mahanadi. In the past, people sometimes confused it with other similar fish, but now we know they are different species. One fish often mistaken for it is the C. ornata, which is popular in aquariums. The real C. chitala is quite rare to find in pet stores.
What Does the Chitala Chitala Look Like?
The C. chitala can grow quite long, up to about 122 centimeters (about 4 feet!). However, most of them are around 75 centimeters (about 2.5 feet) long. This fish is mostly shiny and silver in color.
One special thing about the C. chitala is that it usually has faint golden or silver stripes along its back. This makes it look a bit striped. It also has several small, dark spots near its tail end. These spots might not always be very clear.
It's easy to tell it apart from its cousin, C. ornata. The C. ornata has dark spots with a lighter ring around them, like little eyes. It also doesn't have the stripes on its back that the C. chitala does.
Chitala Chitala as Food
In some parts of Bangladesh and nearby areas of India, like Assam and West Bengal, the Chitala chitala is a popular food. People enjoy dishes like Chital maasor jul and Chital Maccher Muitthya. These are special local foods.
Chitala Chitala in Religion
This fish is important in the Hinduism religion. It is linked to one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu. An avatar is like a special form or appearance of a god. In one story, Lord Vishnu appeared as a golden knifefish, called "Matsya", to defeat a demon.
