Schilbe intermedius facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Schilbe intermedius |
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The silver butter catfish, also known as Schilbe intermedius, is a type of catfish found in many parts of Africa. It looks quite similar to another fish called Schilbe uranoscopus. They even live in some of the same areas.
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Where the Silver Butter Catfish Lives
This catfish lives in many places across Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. You can find it from the Senegal River in the west all the way to Somalia in the east. It also lives south to the Pongola River in South Africa.
Life and Habits of the Catfish
The silver butter catfish is a potamodromous fish. This means it migrates within freshwater rivers and lakes to breed. It usually lives in shallow, open parts of lakes. At night, it swims closer to the surface. You can often find these fish in the lower parts of river systems.
What the Catfish Eats
This catfish eats other fish, either whole or in pieces. It also eats many kinds of small creatures without backbones, like insects that live on land. Once it grows to about 13 to 34 centimeters long, it mainly eats other fish. The silver butter catfish rarely grows longer than 30 centimeters. One study showed that a common food for them was the redeye barb. This fish is a type of carp. It made up almost a third of all the fish found in the catfish's stomachs.
Reproduction
Silver butter catfish breed all year long. However, they breed the most during the rainy season. At this time, they swim in groups into rivers. They lay their eggs in pools formed by floodwaters.
How to Identify a Silver Butter Catfish
This catfish has some unique features. It has a large mouth that looks a bit like a shovel. Around its nose, it has 4 to 6 whiskers, called barbs. Its eyes stick out a little from its head.
Body Features
The anal fin is very long. It stretches from near the fish's belly almost to its tail fin. It also has four short pairs of whiskers around its mouth. The main color of the fish is silvery. Its back and the top of its head are brownish to olive green.
Color and Markings
You can see two dark grey or olive bands on its body. The longest band runs along its side, from just above its gills to its tail. Where this band starts, there is a dark spot. The second, shorter band goes from the start of its pectoral fins to the end of its anal fin. Its fins are clear, but the anal fin has a dark band close to its body. There is also a dark streak that goes into each part of its deeply forked caudal fin (tail fin).
Fishing for Silver Butter Catfish
People do catch the silver butter catfish for food. However, it's usually not the main fish they are trying to catch. Fishermen often catch it by accident while looking for other types of fish.
