Fish profile · Channidae

Striped snakehead

Channa striata

Sport · FoodFreshwaterNative to MalaysiaLeast Concern (IUCN)

Also called Common snakehead and Banded snakehead

The striped snakehead is an adaptable freshwater predator that can live in low-oxygen water. It waits near vegetation or submerged cover and takes smaller aquatic animals.

Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 7 sources

Photo of Striped snakehead — (c) John Witton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Max length: 90 cm
IUCN: LC; Least Concern
In Malaysia: Native
Family: Channidae; order Perciformes

Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.

How big?

Linear scale · person 170 cm

Up to 90 cm.

The person is 170 cm tall.

Where in Malaysia

75 open-licence records · GBIF

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Recorded (open records)

Recorded in Sarawak, Sabah, Johor, Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Kedah, Terengganu, and Kuala Lumpur. Based on 75 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.

How to identify

Elongated body and flattened head
Dark back above a pale belly
Dark angled bands along the sides
A long dorsal fin extending along the back

Look-alikes

Giant snakehead
An adult giant snakehead is bulkier and has a broad horizontal stripe rather than the angled bands of the striped snakehead.

Habitat

Lowland rivers Reservoirs Rice fields and canals

Slow or still water, swamps and vegetated channels; it also tolerates disturbed waterways.

Diet: Small fish, frogs, insects and crustaceans.
Native range: South and Southeast Asia.

Eating

An established food fish with aquaculture production in Malaysia.

More photos

Striped snakehead, photo 2 — (c) John Witton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Striped snakehead, photo 3 — (c) Vsevolod Rudyi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Sources

Last reviewed 26 October 2026