Bob Wright, age 9, of Hattiesburg, Miss., for his question:
WHY DO WE CALL THEM CATFISH?
Catfish is the name given to a large group of fish, most of which have two to four pairs of whiskers. It is because of these whiskers, which are called barbels, that the fish received its name. The barbels do indeed resemble the whiskers of a cat.
Can you believe there are more than 2,000 different kinds of catfish? It's true. They can be found in most parts of the world. The smallest may measure only an inch in length and weigh about one tenth of an ounce while the largest species may grow to be more than 10 feet long and weigh something like 400 pounds.
The spines of some kinds of catfish give off a poison when they pierce another animal. Many of the fish have sharp spines on the back fins and on the fins near their gills.
Unlike most other fish, catfish have no scales over their skins.
Some catfish live in walt water while others are found in fresh water. Most species dwell in quiet waters and feed on tiny animals and bits of animal flesh. They find their food near the bottom of ponds or slow moving rivers.
A few species live in swift streams. They include the channel catfish, which lives in North America. Such catfish eat other fish, frogs, crayfish and insects.
One species is called the armored catfish. He has overlapping bony plates that cover his body. The upside down catfish actually swims upside down. The electric catfish can send out a strong electric shock, while the eelcat, a West African catfish, is so long and slim that it looks very much like an eel.
The walking catfish of tropical Asia can move overland to another body of water if its pond dries up. This fish pushes itself along the ground with its tail, using its strong front fins to lift the front part of its body. The walking catfish has gills, but it also has lunglike breathing organs. These organs enable the fish to stay out of water for many days.
Fishermen in the Mississippi River Valley fish for channel catfish, blue catfish and yellow catfish. The bullhead, a type of catfish, is also a popular food fish in the eastern United States. Catfish farms, most of them in Southern states, raise channel catfish for food.
Many people keep small catfish called glass catfish in home aquariums.
The smallest of all catfish, by the way, are called pygmy corydoras. The largest of all catfish are called European catfish.
The candiru, a small South American catfish, swims into the gills of larger fish. It then rips the gills with its sharp spines and drinks the victim's blood.
Among some species of ocean catfish, the male carries the eggs in his mouth and does not eat them until they hatch.