Species learning profile

bagre-americano

Ictalurus punctatus

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is a freshwater fish associated with river habitat in Global. Taste buds across its body help it feed in murky water.

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Arte original da coleção Fishdle de bagre-americano
Fonte da arte: Fishdle · CC BY 4.0

At a glance

Água
Água doce
Habitat
Rio
Comprimento máximo
130 cm
Distribuição
Mundo inteiro
Família
Ictaluridae
Ordem
Siluriformes

Observe

How to identify bagre-americano

  • Blue-grey to olive, pale underneath.
  • Smooth-skinned with whiskers around the mouth and a forked tail.
  • Reported maximum length: 130 cm — capable of growing longer than many people are tall. Maximum is not the same as typical adult size.

Field note: color, size, and markings can change with age, sex, season, depth, and lighting. Use several traits together.

Place and pattern

Where it lives—and how it behaves

Habitat and range

This species is associated with river habitat across Global. Flow, seasonal floods, connected side channels, and access to spawning reaches all shape its river habitat.

Behavior

Uses river habitat for feeding, shelter, migration, or reproduction.

Food-web connections

What it eats and why it matters

Diet

A species-specific mix of plant material, plankton, invertebrates, or other fish.

Ecological role

It participates in a connected river food web where nutrients and animals move both upstream and downstream..

Remember

One fact worth keeping

bagre-americano pode chegar a cerca de 130 cm e costuma viver perto de Rio.

Think like a conservationist

A conservation lens

River fish depend on connected water. Dams, blocked migrations, pollution, and altered flow can matter even when the channel still looks wet.

This habitat lens is not a current population-status assessment. Status can differ among regions and change as new assessments are published; follow the reference links and local fisheries or wildlife agencies for current decisions.

Recall

Quick knowledge check

Which habitat is most closely associated with Channel catfish in this guide?

Keep exploring

References and further reading

Fishdle summarizes stable identification and ecology concepts in plain language. Taxonomy and population knowledge continue to change, so use primary assessments and regional authorities for conservation or management decisions.

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