The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens, /ˈbɛtə/) also known as Betta, (particularly in the US), is a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Malay. The wild ancestors of this fish are native to the rice paddies of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam and are called pla-kad (lit. biting fish) in Thai or trey krem in Khmer.
Read more about Siamese Fighting Fish: Description, History, Diet, Reproduction and Early Development, Colors, Finnage and Scale Variations, Behavior, Tanks and Tank Mates, Name, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words siamese, fighting and/or fish:
“Your rat tail is all the fashion now. I prefer a bushy plume, carried straight up. You are Siamese and your ancestors lived in trees. Mine lived in palaces. It has been suggested to me that I am a bit of a snob. How true! I prefer to be.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
“One of the first businesses of a sensible man is to know when he is beaten, and to leave off fighting at once.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“The fish in neighboring streams and lakes are so voracious, it is said, that fishermen have to stand out of sight behind trees while baiting their hooks.”
—For the State of Florida, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)