Snake head fish

Introduction:

The snakeheads are members of the fresh water perciform fish family Channidae, native to africa and asia. These elongated,predatory fish are distinguished by their longdorsal fins, large mouths, and shiny teeth. They breathe air with gills, as well as with suprabrancial organs developing when they grow older, which is a primitive form of alabyrinthy organ. The two extant genera are channa in Asia and parachanna in Africa, consisting of about 35 species.
They are valuable as a food source and have become notorious as an intentionally released invasive species.The various species of snakeheads differ greatly in size. "Dwarf snakeheads", such as channna gachua grow to 25 cm (9.8 in). Most other snakeheads reach between 60 and 90 cm (24 and 35 in). Three species (channa barca , channa marulius and channa micropeltes), can reach a length of more than 1 m (3 ft 3 in).
Snakeheads are thrust-feeders which consume plankton,aquatic insects, and mollusuks when small. As adults, they mostly feed on other fish, such as carp or on frogs. In rare cases, small  mammls such as rats are taken.
Ecological concern:
Snakeheads can become invasive species and cause ecological dammage because they are top-level predators, meaning they have no natural enemies outside of their native environment. Not only can they breathe atmospheric air, but they can also survive on land for up to four days, provided they are wet, and are known to migrate up to 1/4 mile on wet land to other bodies of water by wriggling with their body and fins.national geographic has referred to snakeheads as "Fishzilla" and the National geographic channel reported the "northern snakehead reaches sexual maturity by age two or three. Each spawning-age female can release up to 15,000 eggs at once. Snakeheads can mate as often as five times a year. This means in just two years, a single female can release up to 150,000 eggs.
Since 2002, it has been illegal to possess a live snakehead in many US states, where they are considered a destructive invasive species.

World record:

According to the international game fish association Caleb Newton, a spotsylvania country, Virginia resident, caught a world record 17 pound, 6 ounce northern snakehead at the junction of aqui creek and the  potomac river on June 1, 2013. The previous record, two ounces smaller, had been caught in 2004 in miki,kajawa,japan.


As food:

Snakeheads are considered valuable food fish. Called nga yant in Burmese, it is a prized fish eaten in a variety of ways. In Vietnam, they are called ca loc, ca qua, or ca chuoi; it is prized in clay pot dishes and pickled preparations. Larger species, such as channa striata,channna maculata,  and parachanna obscura, are farmed in aquaculture.In the United States, chefs have suggested controlling the snakehead invasion by serving them in restaurants.In Indonesia, snakehead fish are called ikan gabus, served as the main parts of traditional dishes such as Betawi's pucung gabus, and considered to be a delicacy due to their rarity in wild and aquaculture, as they are harder to raise than other popular freshwater fish such as catfish and carp.