# Wild vs. Plakat Betta



## Chocobobetta (Jan 24, 2017)

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between these two types of betta please, because they look the same to me. They are my favorite type of betta.


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## Hyunjicho (Nov 8, 2016)

Plakats are still a part of Betta Splenden while wild bettas are completely different, like Betta Imbellis. They are different species.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Wild Type Bettas are any domesticated Betta with a red/blue/brown or black color combo. WILD Betta are any other complex. Most you can go to Thailand and catch in the wild. They have longer bodies, less color "variation" and shorter fins. Male and females can generally live together. Plakats, on the other hand, have shorter, stockier bodies, longer fins, and are far more aggressive. You can see a Wild Type Hybrid in @Tourmaline's Journal, or "pure" wilds in @LittleBettaFish's Journal.


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## Chocobobetta (Jan 24, 2017)

Wow, awesome! Thank you so much!


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## Chocobobetta (Jan 24, 2017)

I think maybe some of the bettas I was looking at were perhaps mislabled, and it confused me. I want to learn more about both wild and plakat bettas.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

We have a section on Wilds. You might take a look.

FWIW, I've noticed my Plakats tend to be more active than HM or over but not more aggressive.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

There are about 70 odd species of wild betta. The species are divided up into 'complexes', which are basically groups of very closely related species. 

Betta splendens is from the splendens complex, and it is this species from which the ornamental strain of betta was developed. Through decades of selective breeding and (I believe) early hybridisation with the closely related species Betta imbellis and Betta smaragdina, we have created a fish that often bears little resemblance to its wild counterpart. 

It's sort of like a dog and a wolf. They are related, but there is a vast difference in behaviour and appearance. 

A 'wild-type' plakat is like a dog that has been bred to _look_ like a wolf, but it is definitely still a dog.


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