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Catfish seem to be a popular school, from farm raised to wild and free. The only place this fresh water species shuns is Antarctica. Maybe the cold drives them away? Contrary to all the cartoons you’ve seen as a child, Catfish do not have fur. In fact, as of 2005, all 37 families are scale-less as well. The, over 2,000 known species are named for the “whiskers" (a.k.a. “barbells") around their mouths.
The sting that the majority of us know well from our childhood is actually delivered from a bone covered ray on their dorsal and pectoral fins. There is only one species in the Catfish family that doesn’t have this weapon against outside threats.
Catfish have become such a symbol of American summertime fun and fisherman’s tall tales that President Reagan declared June 25th as National Catfish Day. This proclamation was made in 1987 and has been revered at campfire celebrations ever since. There is not a lake or fishing hole in the United States that does not some sort of legend about “the oldest, biggest catfish that has ever lived swimming in these waters."
Catfish can range in size from the tiniest parasite, known to enter the urinary tract of an unsuspecting wader, to a record 646 pounds caught in Northern Thailand. Researchers speculate that these vast fish can get a lot bigger, as many species live in developing countries where they have not been studied thoroughly.
Many children, upon hearing the name “Catfish" have wanted one as a pet. This possibility may be getting closer then you think as there is one family of Catfish that have developed air breathing organs and is known to migrate across land. The only thing for certain about the Catfish’s future is that it has one. The more scientists’ find out about these unique fish, the more everyone is anxious to know.
For more information about fish and fishing, please visit Science Of Fishing and Sunfish, Carp, Catfish And Suckers.
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