Ace
02-04-2006, 08:36 PM
Identification: Walking catfish, which are scale-less, are typically a uniform shade of gray or gray-brown with many small white spots along their sides. The head is flat and wide and the body tapers to the tail. The eyes are very small and the mouth is broad with fleshy lips and numerous small pointed teeth in large bands on both the upper and lower jaw. There are four pairs of barbels, one pair each of maxillary and nasal barbels and two pairs of mandibal barbels. The fish has a lengthy dorsal and anal fin that each terminate in a lobe near the caudal fin. The pectoral fins, one on each side, have rigid spine-like elements. To move outside of water, the fish uses these "spines" and flexes its body back and forth to "walk". The walking catfish is easy to distinguish from many of the other North American catfish because it doesn't have an adipose fin.
In addition to the brown or gray-brown coloring noted above, albinos and calico morphs are also possible. However, these are uncommon in the wild. For example, in Florida the fish that escaped were albinos but today the albino is rare and descendants have generally reverted to the dominant, dark coloring.
The fish reach reproductive maturity at one year and grow up to 24 inches in their native range. However, in Florida they rarely exceed 14 inches.
Walking catfish possess a large accessory breathing organ which enables them to breath atmospheric oxygen. They are well known for their ability to "walk" on land for long distances, especially during or after rainfall.
Original Distribution: The walking catfish are a widely distributed species found across Southern Asia including Pakistan, Eastern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Borneo, Laos and the Philipines. It's hard to determine, though, to what extent this distribution comprises the native range. In Southeast Asian this fish in valued for food and it's probable that human activity is responsible for the presence of this species in parts of its current range.
Ace :frk-big:
In addition to the brown or gray-brown coloring noted above, albinos and calico morphs are also possible. However, these are uncommon in the wild. For example, in Florida the fish that escaped were albinos but today the albino is rare and descendants have generally reverted to the dominant, dark coloring.
The fish reach reproductive maturity at one year and grow up to 24 inches in their native range. However, in Florida they rarely exceed 14 inches.
Walking catfish possess a large accessory breathing organ which enables them to breath atmospheric oxygen. They are well known for their ability to "walk" on land for long distances, especially during or after rainfall.
Original Distribution: The walking catfish are a widely distributed species found across Southern Asia including Pakistan, Eastern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Borneo, Laos and the Philipines. It's hard to determine, though, to what extent this distribution comprises the native range. In Southeast Asian this fish in valued for food and it's probable that human activity is responsible for the presence of this species in parts of its current range.
Ace :frk-big: