Appearance:
Air-breathing, torpedo-shaped fish with flattened heads and toothed jaws; long anal and dorsal fins without spines; typically red eyes; body color darkens with age to deep brown with black blotches sometimes fringed with bright comma-shaped markings, and a red-orange eyespot (ocellus) near the base of the tail. It resembles a bowfin in behavior and appearance, but is distinguished by a long anal fin.
Range:
The Florida fish commonly called bullseye snakehead is now identified by USGS as goldline snakehead (Channa aurolineata), formerly identified as Channa marulius. Its native range includes river basins in Myanmar and western Thailand. First documented in southeastern Florida in 2000, the established population has spread through Broward County into Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. A separate Manatee County pond population was discovered in 2020; USGS reported a removal effort in 2023, with further monitoring needed to confirm eradication.
Habitat:
In canals, typically associated with overhanging shoreline vegetation, dense submersed vegetation, and debris, are tolerant of stagnant waters due to their air-breathing capabilities.
Behavior:
Spawning Habitats: Spawn primarily from March through May, with a secondary peak in August; adults are occasionally seen herding young in shallows until six inches long; a sample of ripe females contained an average of 4,700 eggs ready to spawn.
Feeding Habits: Bottom-dwelling, ambush predator that feeds primarily on small fish and crayfish, but occasionally eats a wide variety of prey, including turtles, toads, lizards, snakes, and insects.
Age and Growth:
The Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area describes typical angler catches as 3–6 pounds and 23–28 inches. Larger fish have been documented; the historical collection described below weighed 14 pounds, 3 ounces. These figures should not be treated as a verified maximum size or current angling record.
Sporting Quality:
Good; have been caught on jerk baits and live baits; a popular sportfish in its native range; no bag or size limits.
Edibility:
Excellent; valued as a food fish in its native range.
Record Information:
The 14-pound, 3-ounce fish described below was collected by electrofishing, not caught by an angler. It should not be presented as a certified Florida hook-and-line state record. FWC state-record requirements specify a legal, active hook-and-line catch.
Historical Collection:
In March 2013, CBS Miami reported a 14-pound, 3-ounce snakehead collected during an FWC electrofishing survey.
The Maryland discovery that drew national attention in 2002 involved northern snakehead (Channa argus), a different species from the Florida fish commonly called bullseye snakehead.
These fish sometimes get mixed up with Bullhead Catfish, while there are a few similarities, for the most part, they are entirely different.
