The Peacock Bass

The Peacock Bass is a fresh water fish which originates from the Amazon River of South America.  Though it is called a Bass it is actually a Cichlid.  15 species of peacock bass are known to man right now, their names vary by region and country and by the anglers that fish them.  The largest peacock bass species is the speckled peacock bass which can grow up to 3 feet and 4 inches (100 centimeters), the smallest species is called the royal peacock bass which grows up to 1 foot and 10 inches (55 centimeters).  Most peacock bass display 3 wide vertical black stripes across their body and a spot on their tail fin which resembles a peacock's tail feathers.  They are usually visible before they reach adult hood, once they reach adult hood their stripes have almost disappeared.  The butterfly peacock bass and speckled peacock bass were introduced into Florida's canal system in 1984.  Their main purpose was to prey on other fish species to keep their population under control, such as the Oscar, Midas Cichlid and spotted tilapia.  Their introduction presented anglers of south Florida a new game fish.  The butterfly peacock bass has had a hard time flourishing in south Florida due to the cold weather during the winter season but the speckled peacock bass has managed to handle the cold weather and has flourished in the canal systems and other freshwater waterways.  Click on the pictures below to see them in full size.