On that catfish that eats pigeons

Usually, it’s “Bird eating fish” but here we have a case of a “Bird-eating fish.”

The Wels Catfish, Silurus glanis, is the second largest fish in its range, which covers much of Europe and parts of West Asia. In parts of Western Europe, it is considered to be “exotic” because it has been introduced, possibly by anglers, in lakes and rivers in France and the Iberian Peninsula. It has also found its way to Japan where it is considered to be an invasive species. It is sometimes known as the European Catfish.

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So far as I know, to my amazement, there has been no attempt to introduce the wels into North America.

One of my main gripes is with inadequate labeling in aquariums, botanical gardens and museums. I particularly remember a large tank of fish with a foot-long wels. There was a label, among others, "European Giant Catfish", nothing else. I watched several visitors look into the tank and wonder where it was.

Outside the Hunting and Fishing Museum in Munich, there is a fine brass statue of a 300 lb wels with mouth wide open

By Jim Thomerson (not verified) on 15 Jan 2013 #permalink