# Milkfish (*Chanos chanos*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/chanos-chanos  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The milkfish (Chanos chanos) is a bony fish in the family Chanidae, order Gonorynchiformes and class Teleostei. Its scientific name carries the authority (Fabricius, 1775), and other English names for it include Buruna, Bangos, Bandang, Bukkariba and Milk-fish. The IUCN Red List assesses the milkfish globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | up to 19 kg |
| Length | up to 1.8 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 15 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Age at maturity | 3 years – 5 years |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Introduced range

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists it as introduced in 4 countries. Introduced: Bangladesh, Cook Islands, Philippines, Türkiye. Source: https://griis.org/ (CC BY 4.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Teleostei
- order: Gonorynchiformes
- family: Chanidae
- genus: Chanos
- species: *Chanos chanos* (Fabricius, 1775)

Synonyms: *Butirinus argenteus*, *Butirinus maderaspatensis*, *Channo chanos*, *Channo chanos*, *Chanos aldrovandi*, *Chanos arabicus*, *Chanos chloropterus*, *Chanos cyprinella*, *Chanos gardineri*, *Chanos indicus*, *Chanos lubina*, *Chanos mento*, *Chanos mossambicus*, *Chanos nuchalis*, *Chanos oriental*, *Chanos orientalis*, *Chanos salmoneus*, *Chanos salmonoides*, *Chanos salmonoides*, *Cyprinus pala*, *Cyprinus palah*, *Cyprinus tolo*, *Leuciscus palah*, *Leuciscus salmoneus*, *Leuciscus zeylonicus*, *Lutodeira chanos*, *Lutodeira chanos*, *Lutodeira chloropterus*, *Lutodeira indica*, *Lutodeira mossambica*, *Lutodeira mossambicus*, *Lutodeira orientalis*, *Lutodeira salmonea*, *Lutodira elongata*, *Mugil chanos*, *Mugil chanos*, *Mugil salmoneus*, *Mugile chani*, *Mugile chani*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the milkfish?

The milkfish is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Chanidae in the order Gonorynchiformes.

### What is the scientific name of the milkfish?

The scientific name of the milkfish is Chanos chanos, in the genus Chanos.

### Who named the milkfish and when?

The milkfish's scientific name is attributed to Fabricius, 1775, written as (Fabricius, 1775).

### Is the milkfish endangered?

No. The milkfish is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.

### What are other names for the milkfish?

Other English names for the milkfish are Buruna, Bangos, Bandang, Bukkariba and Milk-fish.

### What family does the milkfish belong to?

The milkfish belongs to the family Chanidae, within the class Teleostei.

### Is the milkfish an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the milkfish as introduced in 4 countries: Bangladesh, Cook Islands, Philippines and Türkiye, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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).
- [Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS)](https://griis.org/), CC BY 4.0, 2026-11-13. Pagad, S., Genovesi, P., Carnevali, L., Schigel, D. & McGeoch, M.A. (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data 5: 170202. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.202. Country checklists published through GBIF by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Milkfish (Chanos chanos). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/chanos-chanos