Snakehead fish has fewer spines than grass carp. Snakehead fish has only one main spine and no small spines, while grass carp has many small spines. Snakehead fish is a low-fat food and rich in nutrients. Its muscles contain crude protein and amino acids, which have high nutritional value to the human body.

Caiyu is also known as black snakehead, formerly known as snakehead fish, and its common names are black fish, flower fish, mullet, raw fish, spot fish, financial fish, snakehead fish, black inside, black black fish, black stick, cuttlefish, Fengyu, firehead fish, black pine, black stick, filial fish. "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" is listed as top grade. Li Shizhen said: "The snakehead has seven stars. It is long and round, with the head and tail equal. It has fine scales, black color, and spotted patterns. It is quite similar to a viper. It has a repulsive shape and is a delicacy of southerners."

It is produced in most freshwater rivers in China, including Taiwan and Hainan Island. There is more production in June.

In freshwater systems in India, East Asia and China. It likes to inhabit rivers and ponds with slow water flow. It often hides in aquatic plants and attacks fish and shrimps. Strong adaptability and resistance to hypoxia. It is a carnivorous fish that mainly feeds on rotifers, cladocerans, and copepods in its juvenile stage.

The young fish feed on fish, shrimp and insects in the water. Adult fish feed on other small fish. The spawning period is from April to July. During the breeding season, they often swim to rivers, ponds, lake shoals and other places with lush aquatic plants. After spawning, both male and female parent fish do not leave the nest until the hatched larvae grow up.

Morphological characteristics:

Generally, the body length is 20 cm and the weight is 500-1000 grams. The body is nearly cylindrical and the tail peduncle is thick and short. The head is long, the muzzle is short and slightly flat. The mouth is large, the lower jaw is slightly protruding, and the jaws have sharp teeth. The head and body are both covered with scales. The lateral line is interrupted approximately above the origin of the anal fin, 1 or 2 rows of scales downward and then extends back along the middle of the body side.

The base of the dorsal and anal fins are very long and have no hard spines. Pectoral fins round. Pelvic fin small, forward position. Caudal fin rounded. The body is black and gray, the abdomen is gray and white, with many irregular and large black spots. The back, buttocks, and tail fins all have black markings, and the pectoral fins are slightly yellow.