A Fish with Whiskers

A Fish with Whiskers Many different kinds of catfish are found all over the world. They have adapted to the regions in which they live. Three catfish that have some similarities but definite differences are the electric catfish, the burrowing catfish and the walking catfish. These three catfish have many similarities. One similarity is they all have whiskers that are made of flesh called “barbels”. Another is they all have smooth, slippery skin instead of scales. They also all have sharp, boney spines on their side and back fins. Although these catfish have similarities they are very different. The electric catfish can give a shock up to 450 volts if you touch it. This is how it captures prey and defends itself. The burrowing catfish can live during dry seasons by burrowing deep into the muddy bottom of ponds and streams. It falls into a deep slump by slowing down its heart and body. This catfish can also stay asleep for several years while it waits for rain. The walking catfish is very different from the electric and the burrowing catfish. The walking catfish uses strong fins behind its gills to hold its body up and tail to push it over the ground. This helps it to move from one pond to another. It can come ashore at night to find food and can stay alive out of water with special air breathing organs. Catfish live in different places all over the world and share some similarities but as you can see they can be very different. Each one seems to learn to adapt to the area it comes from. As a result there are many different kinds of catfish including the electric, burrowing and walking