Details
Silurus glanis
The wels catfish is a very large Palearctic freshwater fish. Active across day and night, it patrols rivers and lakes alone or loosely near others.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in large rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and slow deep channels. Wood, bank hollows, mud bottoms, and other cover are useful.
Length is about 100-300 cm and weight about 15-150 kg. A scaleless long body, broad head, large mouth, and long barbels define it.
It often rests in deep or covered places by day and becomes more active in low light. Individuals are mostly solitary but can overlap at feeding sites.
It is carnivorous, eating fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and waterbirds. Barbels and other senses help locate prey in turbid water.
Spawning occurs in warm seasons in shallow areas, and males may guard the nest area. Young grow near sheltered margins.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. As a large freshwater predator, introduced populations can raise concerns for native wildlife.
