Snakehead Species ID
Three snakeheads turn up in U.S. waters — and one tail mark tells most of them apart. Here's what you actually caught.
Northern Snakehead
One long dorsal fin running almost the whole back, tan-to-gold body with irregular dark blotches — and no spot on the tail.
This is the "frankenfish" — the one you're almost certainly catching in the mid-Atlantic. Air-breathing, brutal on topwater, and great table fare.
Bullseye Snakehead
A dark "bullseye" eye-spot at the base of the tail, often ringed in orange or white. See the tail spot? It's a bullseye.
The Florida snakehead. If you're fishing canals down south and it's got a bullseye on the tail, this is your fish.
Giant Snakehead “red snakehead”
Juveniles are bright red-orange with black stripes; adults turn blue-black with a pale belly. No tail bullseye.
If you genuinely land one of these in U.S. waters, it's an illegal aquarium release — photograph it, don't move it live, and report it to your state wildlife agency.
| Species | Where | Size | The giveaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern | Mid-Atlantic → Midwest | 1–3 ft | No tail spot; heavy dark blotches |
| Bullseye | South Florida | 2–4 ft | Bullseye spot at base of tail |
| Giant | Rare (aquarium) | Up to 4+ ft | Red juvenile → blue-black adult |