North American featherback (SciiFii)

The North American featherback (Chitala americanum) is a species of fish that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the wetlands, lakes, and rivers across North America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the North American featherback is the clown featherback (Chitala ornata). The North American knifefish is very typical of fish of the genus Chitala, with a silvery gray with a long, knife-like body (laterally compressed) and a long anal fin that gives it its common name. Albinos and leucistic specimens are seen with some frequency in the aquarium trade. Juveniles are overall striped. Their long anal fins are used to make graceful forward and backward movements. The North American knifefish grows to a fairly large size, up to 1 meters (3.3 feet) and 5 kilograms (11 lbs) in the wild. It has two nasal tentacles above its large, toothed mouth. In the center of the body is a flag-like dorsal fin and has no ventral fins. The North American featherbacks are nocturnal and usually cruise during the twilight hours. They normally hunt live prey and try any fish that fits into their mouths. Young North American featherbacks usually school near submerged logs and aquatic plants for security, whereas more mature specimens usually become territorial and eventually become loners. These fish can also breathe air to survive in stagnant waters and little oxygen. The conservation status of the North American featherback is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the North American featherback's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii