Main Characteristics of Catfish

• There are about 4,000 species of catfish.
• Catfish mostly live in freshwater, but some can also be found in saltwater.
• They have "whiskers" around their mouths called barbels.
• Barbels are long, thin sensory organs that have taste buds on them.
• In Europe, the only native catfish is the European catfish.
• Catfish are omnivores. They eat plants, fish, invertebrates, insects, and crustaceans.
• The largest catfish is the Mekong giant catfish, which can grow up to 9.8 feet (3 meters) long and weigh as much as 770 pounds (350 kg).
• The smallest catfish is the dwarf corydoras, measuring only 0.7-1 inches (19-25 mm) in length.
• The longest journey made by a catfish was by the gilded catfish, which swam an incredible 7,200 miles (11,600 km) through the Amazon River.

Species List