History of the origin wild betta splendens

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Dino47
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Hello together,

Accessorizing with fish was not what the people of Siam originally had in mind when they
started collecting Bettas prior to the 1800s. Known as Siamese Fighting Fish, the Bettas
of that time were not the same elegant fish that we see today.
With much smaller fins and a dirty greenish brown hue, they were bred for competitive
fighting and not for the magnificent finnage and colors that they are now famous for.
Native to Siam (now Thailand), Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and parts of China, these fish
became accustomed to water temperatures that were often above 37 degrees.

For the children of Malaya, in southern China, collecting these Siamese fighting fish was
a favorite pastime. Able to catch 50 fish in an hour, from the paddy fields, these children
would conduct fish fights in order to determine who the village champion was. Usually,
it was the biggest fish that they had. Once the wounds healed on the prize-winning fish,
he would go into competition again against a new opponent. This pastime diminished
significantly when agricultural chemicals and mechanized plowing were introduced for the
harvesting of the paddy fields. The fields were not the only place where one could find
Bettas however. They were also living in ditches, stagnant ponds and gentle flowing streams.

Known as pla kat, which means tearing or biting fish, the wild Bettas generally would have
short-lasting fights of only a few minutes or so. However, once the Siamese started to breed
them specifically for fighting, these matches could go on for hours. The winner was determined,
not by the wounds that he inflicted, but instead by his willingness to continue fighting.

The losing fish retreated and the match was over. Damage to the fish generally was nothing
more than torn fins, with serious damage rarely seen. However, damage to the families of
the men betting on the fish was sometimes substantial, with potential losses as great as his
money, his house and, on occasion, his wife or other family members!

Seeing the obvious popularity of these fights, the King of Siam started licensing and collecting
these fighting fish. In 1840, he gave some of his prized fish to a man who, in turn, gave them
to Dr. Theodor Cantor, a medical scientist from Bangor. Describing these fish in an article
nine years later, Dr. Cantor gave them the name Macropodus Pugnax. In 1909, Mr. Tate Regan
renamed those Betta Splendens, noting that there already was a species with the name that
Dr. Cantor had given to them. It is believed that Mr. Regan got the name from a warrior-like
tribe of people named “Bettah”.

By the last quarter of the 1800’s, the Betta Splendens were introduced into France and
Germany and in 1910 they were first seen in the United States. Seventeen years later,
Frank Locke of San Francisco received his first Bettas. They were light-colored with
brilliant red fins and he gave them the name Betta Cambodia. With the variety of colors and
color combinations that were being introduced, these fish were considered to be different
species, thus a long list of alternate names was created.

Wild Betta from North Thailand
Imagine

Wild Betta Fighter
Imagine
snakefishmike
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Thanks for sharing Axel  :) .
The wild form from North Thailand is absolutely magnificent . I've never see a betta like him . Gorgeous . I want a pair  :)
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