AnimalvsAnimal
Milkfish🐟

Photo: Bryan Harry (U.S. National Park Service) · Public domain

SpeciesGonorynchiformesChanidae
Fish

🐟Milkfish

Chanos chanos (Forsskål, 1775)

The milkfish is a widespread species of ray-finned fish found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is the sole living species in the family Chanidae, and the only living member of the genus Chanos. The repeating scientific name (tautonym) is from Greek khanos. They are grouped in the order Gonorhynchiformes and are most closely related to the Ostariophysi—freshwater fishes such as carps, catfish, and loaches.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Photos
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Measurements
7
vs you
≈ 1/8th of your weight
Also called
Chanos chanos
Conservation status
LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2019.

Population trendUnknown
Key measurements
Body mass
7.7 kg
Body length
1 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
15 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Milkfish

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
7.7 kgrecord 14 kg · FishBase
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
1 mrecord 1.8 m · FishBasetypical adult
FishBase
Other figures ↓

Record: largest individual on record

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

By sex

  • Female1.24 mFishBasev25.04
Maximum lifespan
15 yearsrecord 15 years · FishBase
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Trophic level
2.59
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04, estimate table · CC BY-NC 4.0

Diet
omnivoreaverage
Details ↓

From trophic level 2.59 (FishBase): <2.2 herbivore, 2.2–2.8 omnivore, >2.8 carnivore.

Danger to humans
harmless
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

Volume l
7.7 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Milkfish yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›orderGonorynchiformes
  4. ›familyChanidae
  5. ›genusChanos
  6. ›speciesChanos chanos
Full lineage
  1. superclassRay-finned fish · Actinopterygii
  2. suborderChanoidei
  3. familyChanidae
  4. genusChanos
All 12 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassRay-finned fish · Actinopterygii
  7. classActinopteri
  8. subclassNeopterygii
  9. orderGonorynchiformes
  10. suborderChanoidei
  11. familyChanidae
  12. genusChanos
More

More about the Milkfish

In other languages
遮目鱼 (zh), Chanos (pl), Chanos (fr), Chanos chanos (es), Chanos chanos (it), Milchfisch (de) … and 20 more languages
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Tree of life

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