The Efficacy Of Cork fish

In areas that have waters, such as rivers, swamps, ditches and lakes, there are still many fish that can be used as a source of protein. One of them is cork fish (Channa striata) which has been widely known by the people of Indonesia. This fish easily lives in waters that have not been polluted by pesticides. In nature cork fish are predatory fish, predators of small fish, insects, frogs (tadpoles), snails, worms and other types of aquatic animals.

This fish is widespread from South Asia, southern China to Southeast Asia, including western Indonesia. In Indonesia, many local names for this fish such as leak (Riau), aruan, haruan (Malay), kocolan (Betawi), bogo (Sunda), bayong, bogo, licingan (Banyumas), curse (Java), kabos (Minahasa) . In English known as names such as common snakehead, snakehead murrel, chevron snakehead, striped snakehead and also aruan.

Adult cork fish can grow to reach one meter long. Large-headed rather flat like a snake's head (so-called snakehead), with large scales above the head. Rounded elongated body with rounded fins at the ends. The upper side of the body from head to tail is dark, brownish black or greenish, with the underside of the white body. The thick side of the side resembles the surrounding environment. Big mouth with big and sharp teeth.

Cork fish have a kind of labyrinthine organ (like in catfish or wood), but are more primitive that resembles the amphibian respiratory system. This ability causes cork fish to have adaptive ability to the environment that is moving or burying themselves in mud when the waters dry out. Often cork fish 'walk' on land, especially at night during the dry season, look for another place that is still runny.