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Catfishes: Siluriformes - Physical Characteristics, Catfishes And People, Conservation Status, Channel Catfish (ictalurus Punctatus): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION

live bottom eat eggs

CHANNEL CATFISH (Ictalurus punctatus): SPECIES ACCOUNTS
SQUAREHEAD CATFISH (Chaca chaca): SPECIES ACCOUNTS
CANDIRU (Vandellia cirrhosa): SPECIES ACCOUNTS

Catfishes live all over the world except Antarctica.

Most catfishes live in freshwater. Some live in estuaries (EHS-chew-air-eez), or the area where a river meets the sea, and others go into even deeper ocean water.

Most catfishes are bottom feeders and mainly eat invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), or animals without backbones. Some catfishes eat fish, and some feed on fallen leaves and trees as well as algae (AL-jee), which are tiny plantlike growths that live in water and have no true roots, stems, or leaves. Some catfishes eat the blood of other fish.

Catfishes are generally bottom-dwelling. They are solitary, living alone, and are nocturnal (nahk-TER-nuhl) and active at night. Some, however, live far away from the bottom, are active during the day, and may form schools. Catfishes usually engage in courtship activity before spawning, or releasing eggs. They then provide some parental care. Most guarding of eggs and the young is done by males. Sea catfishes carry their eggs in their mouths until they hatch.

Additional Topics

Catfishes: Siluriformes - Physical Characteristics

Catfishes: Siluriformes - Catfishes And People

Catfishes: Siluriformes - Conservation Status

Catfishes: Siluriformes - Channel Catfish (ictalurus Punctatus): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Channel catfish are about 3 feet, 11 inches (1.3 meters) long and weigh about 58 pounds (26 kilograms). The mouth has four pairs of barbels. The adipose fin is small and far from the caudal fin, which is deeply forked. The spine on each pectoral fin has sawlike teeth at the end. Young channel catfish are mottled and brownish on the back and whitish on the belly. Adults ar…

Catfishes: Siluriformes - Squarehead Catfish (chaca Chaca): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Squarehead catfish are about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long. The head is broad and flat, almost square, with a deep groove on top. The mouth is very wide and has wormlike appendages that are not barbels, in addition to three pairs of small barbels. The body narrows toward the rear. The dorsal fin has a short spine. The adipose fin is a low ridge that flows into the tail f…

Catfishes: Siluriformes - Candiru (vandellia Cirrhosa): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Candirus are 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long. The body is naked and eel-like. There are spines on the gill covers, the mouth is suckerlike, and the lower jaw is toothless. Candirus are yellowish or almost clear. Geographic range: Candirus live in South America. Habitat: Candirus live in freshwater. They burrow in sandy bottoms. When a fish opens its gill cover to expel …

South American Knifefishes and Electric Eels: Gymnotiformes - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Electric Eel (electrophorus Electricus): Species Accounts, Glass Knifefish (eigenmannia Lineata): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABIT [next] [back] Characins: Characiformes - Physical Characteristics, Giant Tigerfish (hydrocynus Goliath): Species Accounts, Red-bellied Piranha (pygocentrus Nattereri): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION, CHARACINS AND PEOPLE,

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10 months ago

ugh bio project

I NEED PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZED