Synodontis polyodon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Synodontis polyodon |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Mochokidae |
| Genus: | Synodontis |
| Species: |
S. polyodon
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| Binomial name | |
| Synodontis polyodon Vaillant, 1895
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Synodontis polyodon is a type of upside-down catfish. It lives in the freshwaters of Gabon, a country in Africa. This fish is found in the Ogowe River basin. A French scientist named Léon Vaillant first described this fish in 1895. He found it in the Ogooué River. The name "polyodon" means "many teeth" in Greek, which is a good hint about one of its special features!
What Does This Fish Look Like?
This fish has a brownish body. You might see some dark spots that form four or five lines across its body.
Like other fish in its group, Synodontis polyodon has a special bony spike. It's called a humeral process. This spike is part of a hard cap on the fish's head. You can see it sticking out past the gill opening. For this fish, the spike has lines on it, is long and thin, and comes to a sharp point.
The first part of its top fin (dorsal fin) is hard. It is smooth on the front but a little rough on the back. The spines on its side fins (pectoral fins) are as long as its head. They are very rough on both sides, especially the inside. Its tail fin is deeply split, like a fork.
This fish has short, cone-shaped teeth in its upper jaw. In its lower jaw, it has about 75 teeth in a long row. It also has long whiskers, called barbels. One pair of barbels is near its mouth and reaches past its side fins. It has two more pairs of barbels under its jaw, which often have branches. The small, fleshy fin on its back (adipose fin) is about three and a half times longer than it is tall.
This fish can grow to be about 31.4 centimetres (12.4 in) long.
Where Does This Fish Live?
In the wild, Synodontis polyodon lives in warm, fresh water. It is found in the Ogowe River basin, which is in the country of Gabon.
 | Laphonza Butler |
 | Daisy Bates |
 | Elizabeth Piper Ensley |
