Nile perch

Large food and game fish (family Latidae) found in the Nile and other African rivers and lakes.

The Nile perch (Lates niloticus) has a large mouth and is greenish or brownish above, silvery below. It grows to about 6 ft (1.8 m) and weighs 300 lbs (140 kg). It has a slender body, a protruding lower jaw, a rounded tail, and two dorsal fins. Other species in the same family are found in African river systems and in Asian and Australian estuaries and coastal waters. The members of the family are sometimes classified with snooks (family Centropomidae).

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▪ fish

      (species Lates niloticus), large food and game fish of the family Centropomidae (order Perciformes), found in the Nile and other rivers and lakes of Africa. A large-mouthed fish, the Nile perch is greenish or brownish above and silvery below and grows to about 1.8 m (6 feet) and 140 kg (300 pounds). It has an elongated body, a protruding lower jaw, a rounded tail, and two dorsal fins.

      In 1954, L. niloticus was introduced into Lake Victoria in Africa, home to hundreds of cichlid fishes. A powerful predator, the Nile perch has greatly reduced the cichlid numbers.

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