Details
Cichla ocellaris
The peacock bass is a large Neotropical freshwater cichlid. Active across day and night, it hunts fish in pairs or loose groups around cover.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses tropical rivers, lakes, floodplains, and margins with wood or aquatic plants. Clearer freshwater with cover suits its visual hunting style.
Length is about 30-75 cm and weight about 1-9 kg. Green to yellow sides with dark bars and an eyespot near the tail base are typical.
A sight-hunting predator, it patrols banks and submerged structure. Pairs defend territories during breeding, while at other times fish may gather loosely.
It is carnivorous, feeding mainly on smaller fish. Sudden rushes drive prey from cover, sometimes toward the surface.
Pairs clean a surface for spawning and guard eggs and young. Protected fry grow in shallow freshwater margins.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. It is valued as a sport fish, but introduced populations can affect native fish communities.
