Channel Catfish

Ictalurus punctatus or the Channel Catfish is the most abundant species of catfish in North America, and has been introduced to areas of Europe as well. They are omnivorous, eating a large variety of other fish like perch, animals like snakes and frogs, and various plants. They are well adapted to living in murky waters, relying on their strong taste and smell to navigate and find food. In fact, their bodies are covered in taste buds, and even more of those taste buds are on their barbels, or the whiskers by their mouth. They also possess a Weberian apparatus, which is a few miniature bones in their vertebrae that connect its swim bladder to the fish's auditory system, which allows the catfish to to detect and amplify sound waves in the water. When they find their prey, the fish suctions it into its mouth like a vacuum by quickly opening its mouth, which allows it to swallow the prey whole.