Asian snakehead
Channa striata (Bloch, 1793)
The Asian snakehead (Channa striata) is a bony fish in the family Channidae, part of the order Anabantiformes. It is also called murrel, common snakehead, snakehead murrel, chevron snakehead and striped snakehead.
Quick facts about the Asian snakehead
The species was named by Bloch in 1793, and its scientific name is written as Channa striata (Bloch, 1793). On the IUCN Red List, the Asian snakehead is listed as Least Concern in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the Asian snakehead
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the Asian snakehead live?
Not recorded
What is the Asian snakehead?
Channa striata, the striped snakehead, is a species of snakehead fish. It is also known as the common snakehead, chevron snakehead, or snakehead murrel and generally referred simply as mudfish. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, and has been introduced to some Pacific Islands. Reports from Madagascar and Hawaii are misidentifications of C. maculata.
A genetic study published in 2017 indicates that C. striata is a species complex.
From the Wikipedia article “Channa striata” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Channa_striata&oldid=1371728736), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the Asian snakehead endangered?
The Asian snakehead is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the Asian snakehead classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderAnabantiformes
- familyChannidae
- genusChanna
- SpeciesChanna striata (Bloch, 1793)
Synonyms Channa stiata, Channa striatus, Ophicephalus planiceps, Ophicephalus striatus, Ophicephalus striatus, Ophicephalus wrahl, Ophiocephalus chena, Ophiocephalus philippinus, Ophiocephalus planiceps, Ophiocephalus striatus, Ophiocephalus striatus qualamudensis, Ophiocephalus vagus, Ophiocephalus wrahl
Other names and names in other languages (37)
- Chevron snakeheadEnglish
- Chevron snakeheadEnglish
- Common snakeheadEnglish
- Common snakeheadEnglish
- MurrelEnglish
- Snakehead murrelEnglish
- Snakehead murrelEnglish
- Striped snakeheadEnglish
- Striped snakeheadEnglish
- HaalAssamese
- শোলBangla
- bale bolongBuginese
- Stribet slangehovedfiskDanish
- Quergestreifter SchlangenkopfGerman
- Quergestreifter SchlangenkopffischGerman
- Cabeza de serpiente cabríoSpanish
- Cabeza de serpiente asiáticoSpanish
- Tête-de-serpent rayéFrench
- Tête de serpent striéFrench
- Ikan gabusIndonesian
- GabusIndonesian
- マムシドジョウJapanese
- ストライプスネークヘッドJapanese
- Trey rawsKhmer
- 줄가물치Korean
- Ikan rutiangMinangkabau
- വരാൽMalayalam
- सोराNepali
- Żmijogłów PręgowanyPolish
- Cabeça-de-cobra-asiáticoPortuguese
- Полосатый змееголовRussian
- ปลาช่อนThai
- ปลาช่อนนาThai
- ลูกครอกThai
- DalagFilipino
- 線鱧Chinese
- 泰國鱧Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Asian snakehead
Other species in the same genus Channa.
Snakehead
Channa argus
Red snakehead
Channa micropeltes
Dwarf snakehead
Channa gachua
Chinafish
Channa asiatica
Ceylon snakehead
Channa orientalis
Green snakehead
Channa punctata
CompareAsian snakehead vs SnakeheadAsian snakehead vs Red snakeheadAsian snakehead vs Dwarf snakeheadAsian snakehead vs Chinafish
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Asian snakehead?
The Asian snakehead is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Channidae in the order Anabantiformes.
What is the scientific name of the Asian snakehead?
The scientific name of the Asian snakehead is Channa striata. It is placed in the genus Channa.
Who named the Asian snakehead and when?
The Asian snakehead was named by Bloch in 1793, written as (Bloch, 1793).
Is the Asian snakehead endangered?
No. The Asian snakehead is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
What other names does the Asian snakehead have?
The Asian snakehead is also called murrel, common snakehead, snakehead murrel, chevron snakehead and striped snakehead.
What family does the Asian snakehead belong to?
The Asian snakehead belongs to the family Channidae, in the suborder Channoidei.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Asian snakehead (Channa striata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/asian-snakehead
“Asian snakehead (Channa striata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/asian-snakehead.
@misc{asian_snakehead_2026,
title = {Asian snakehead (Channa striata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/asian-snakehead},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}