African catfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids African catfish |
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The African catfish, also known as the eel-like fattyfin catfish, is a fascinating fish found across Africa. Its scientific name is Heterobranchus bidorsalis. This fish is special because it is an airbreathing catfish, meaning it can breathe air directly from the atmosphere. This ability helps it survive in different watery places. It is also closely related to the vundu catfish, which is well-known among people who fish.
What Does the African Catfish Look Like?
The African catfish has an oval-shaped head. The top of its body, called the dorsum, is shaped like a rectangle. It has a round snout and its eyes are on the sides of its head.
Inside its head, it has special openings called frontal fontanelle and occipital fontanelle. The frontal one is long and narrow. The occipital one is oval-shaped and quite long. The bones behind its eyes, called postorbital bones, are fully joined together.
This fish also has a special breathing organ, the suprabranchial organ, which is very well developed. This helps it breathe air! The African catfish has a smooth spine near its pectoral fins (the fins located behind its gills). Its body and fins can sometimes have spots.
This amazing fish can grow very long, up to 150 centimeters (about 59 inches). That's almost as tall as a person! The heaviest African catfish ever recorded weighed 30 kilograms (about 66 pounds). It has many soft rays in its fins: 40 to 46 on its back (dorsal fin) and 49 to 58 on its underside (anal fin). It also has 62 to 63 vertebrate bones in its spine.
Where Does the African Catfish Live?
The African catfish is a demersal fish, which means it lives near the bottom of the water. It lives in freshwater environments like rivers and lakes. It prefers water temperatures between 22.0 and 28.0 degrees Celsius (71.6 to 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
You can find this catfish widely in the northern half of Africa. Its range stretches from Senegal in the west all the way to Ethiopia in the east. It also lives in the famous Nile River. Other places where it can be found include the Niger River, Gambia River, Senegal River, Baro River, Benue River, Volta River, and Lake Chad.
How Do Humans Use the African Catfish?
This fish is important to people because it is caught for food. It is a commercially fished species, meaning it is caught and sold for human consumption.
