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The redtail catfish, aka cajaro, banana catfish, or pirarara is the only extant species of its genus, Phractocephalus, that hails from South America. These fish face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of deforestation, agricultural runoff, and large-scale basin alterations that disrupt the slow-moving tributaries and […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The plecostomus, aka suckermouth catfish or common pleco, are members of the armored catfish family (Loricariidae), named for the rows of armor-like scutes that cover the upper parts of their head and body. Even though their name Hypostomus plecostomus is typically used in reference to the common plecostomus that is […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The flathead catfish, aka mudcat or shovelhead cat, an invasive species in some locales, is the 2nd largest catfish in North America after the blue catfish. Seeing as they are highly targeted by recreational anglers and commercial harvesters, they face the threat of overfishing. They also face the threats of […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The brown bullhead, aka mud pout, horned pout, hornpout, or mud cat, can be found throughout most of North America. These catfish are regularly stocked in lakes meant for fishing all over Canada and the United States. They face the threats of habitat destruction, water pollution, overfishing, and habitat alteration, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The iridescent shark, aka iridescent shark catfish, despite its primary common name, is not an actual shark, but a species of catfish. They dwell in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya River in southeastern Asia, and are heavily cultivated for food in that region. These fish face […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The African sharptooth catfish is a highly invasive species of air breathing catfish hailing from Africa. However, they have been introduced to Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. Often living in unsanitary conditions, they face the threats of parasites and disease from trematodes, nematodes, and cestodes. They also face […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The giant pangasius, aka pangasid-catfish, paroon shark, or Chao Phraya giant catfish, hails from Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers that run throughout Cambodia, China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Vietnam. They have also been introduced to central Anatolia, Malaysia, and South Africa. Due to overfishing and overcollection for the […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

You read that correctly… a walking catfish. Originally from Indonesia, these invasive fish also dwell in Florida, in the United States. They are able to move from 1 water body to another, via land. This makes them a problem, since they are voracious predators that dramatically affect aquatic life. Due […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The channel catfish, aka channel cat, is the most abundant catfish species in North America. They have populations in Canada, United States, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. They are also considered an invasive species in many countries. Channel cats like deep, cool, clean water, with slow to […]

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