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Catfishes: Siluriformes

Catfishes And People

Catfishes are used as food and aquarium fishes.

THEY DON'T SWIM IN YOUR TOILET . . .

Candirus can confuse the outward flow of nitrogen-rich water from a fish's gills with the outward flow of nitrogen-rich urine from a person urinating underwater. The candiru swims up the urinary tract, feeding on blood. The tight space and the spines of its head make it impossible for the fish to turn around or back out, and it dies inside the person, blocking urination and causing extreme pain, massive infection, shock, and often death. Humans who live on the candirus' rivers protect themselves by wearing tight clothing when swimming and by not urinating underwater.

Did You Know?

Mississippi produces 72 percent of the channel catfish farm-raised in the United States.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceFish and Other Cold-Blooded VertebratesCatfishes: Siluriformes - Physical Characteristics, Catfishes And People, Conservation Status, Channel Catfish (ictalurus Punctatus): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION