The giraffe catfish, ''Auchenoglanis occidentalis'', is an

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

. It eats plants off the floor of lakes and streams.

Distribution and habitat

The giraffe catfish is found throughout Africa in lakes and rivers, partially due to introduction and establishment in other areas.PlanetCatfish • Catfish of the Month • October 1999
/ref> It is found in many important lakes and rivers such as the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

and

Lake Chad Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...

. Its distribution covers includes bodies of water from East Africa to West Africa. It generally lives in shallow waters with muddy bottoms.

Anatomy and appearance

This fish has a maximum size that sources say are between two and three feet. The

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

-like pattern will fade with age to a two-tone mottled brown. Various subspecies have been described for this fish, indicating some geographical variation in coloration.

Reproduction

Eggs are scattered in a nest and guarded by the male. ''

Dinotopterus cunningtoni ''Dinotopterus cunningtoni'' is a species of catfish in the family Clariidae. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. It is of importance in local commercial fisheries. It can r ...

'' takes advantage of the care and allows the male giraffe catfish to care for its eggs and young, an example of interspecific brood care.

Relationship to humans

The giraffe catfish is occasionally imported for the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade. Because of its large eventual size and its fast rate of growth, it is inappropriate for smaller aquaria. This fish will readily accept a variety of foods and is tolerant of a wide variety of water conditions. They will scavenge the aquarium looking for food, which could cause in the uprooting of plants. This fish is also an important food fish in Africa.

References

*Risch, L.M., 2003. Claroteidae. p. 60-96 In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle, Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France. 815 p. {{Taxonbar, from=Q760309 Claroteidae Catfish of Africa Fish described in 1840 Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes