| Catfish (named for whiskerlike feelers on their jaws) are a diverse collection of tenacious fish that have adapted to life in a variety of environments. There are more than 2000 different species. One type of catfish, Clarias batrachus, commonly known as the walking catfish, is native to shallow ponds in eastern India and Southeast Asia. When droughts cause shallow ponds to dry up, the walking catfish is capable of traveling across land to move to deeper ponds. It uses its pectoral fins and tail to slither across the ground, or “walk,” in search of a suitable new pond, surviving on oxygen stored in an air chamber in its gill arch. |
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