Fun Amur Catfish Facts For Kids

The Amur catfish (silurus asotus), or Japanese common catfish, of genus Silurus, is a species of catfish (sheatfish) in the family Siluridae. The Amur catfish is about 51.2 in (130 cm).

An island in continental East Asia as well as in Japan is home to these large freshwater fish. Irrigation canals, rivers, and lakes with slow-moving currents are its favorite habitats. Unlike other catfish, it has a silurid appearance.

There are three pairs of barbels on the larva. Three barbels cover an Asotus specimen of pairs of barbels, compared with two in an adult fish. Their body has a white stomach and white spots on its flanks.

Catfish larvae widely exhibit the spawning embrace known to exist in other species of catfish. According to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, the Amur catfish has been listed as of Least Concern.

They spawn in mid-June in rice fields and lay their eggs on submerged aquatic freshwater macrophytes. It is big enough to swallow a human.

The Amur catfish is commercially cultivated in Japan by farmers for aquaculture. The average lifespan of this species is up to 12 years of age. They reach maturity at four or five years of age.

If you enjoy reading about the Amur catfish, do check out interesting facts about the blobfish and the lungfish too!

Amur Catfish Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Amur catfish?

An Amur catfish (silurus asotus) is a species of catfish from the Siluridae family.

What class of animal do the Amur catfish belong to?

The Amur catfish is a fish of the class Actinopterygii.

How many Amur catfish are there in the world?

There is no exact estimate of the current population of this species.

Where do the Amur catfish live?

The distribution range is throughout continental East Asia, Russia, and Japan. This is a large freshwater temperate environment fish.

What is an Amur catfish habitat?

This species is found mostly in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. When the night falls, it feeds on vegetation in swamps and underwater caves. They prefer slow-moving water currents, irrigation canals, and a muddy bottom. Winters are when it is found in muddy habitats and deep waters.

Who do the Amur catfish live with?

Species like the Japanese catfish belong to a group called Sheatfish. Most catfishes are solitary creatures at the adult stage. They prefer to be alone. Their larval stage is markedly different since the larvae are grouped in vast numbers.

How long do an Amur catfish live?

According to reports, an Amur catfish has a lifespan of up to 12 years of age.

How do they reproduce?

The Silurus asotus spawns in temporary water like rice fields during the rainy season, which is late April to late August, depending on location.

Hence, spawning is negatively related to hydrographic conditions, where turbidity increases and the depth of the water increases, which are all symptoms of the rainy season during the Asia monsoons. Catfish larvae widely exhibit the spawning embrace known to exist in other species of catfish.

This species has a clearly skewed sex ratio toward females.

There is also intraspecific variation in their reproductive ecology, particularly in mating behavior, for example, the Biwa population status always enfolds a single female with continuous squeezing in his hand, and males chase the female. Unlike the stereotype, circling by males has not been recognized yet, and females are often entwined by two males.

The eggs of Silurus asotus are scattered while they are spawning, which is thought to reduce juvenile mortality rates.

What is their conservation status?

The population of the Amur catfish is quite stable. Therefore, it has been classified as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

Amur Catfish Fun Facts

What do the Amur catfish look like?

It is a large species of catfish, typical of a large Silurid catfish. There are three pairs of barbels on the larva which is two mandibular and one maxillary.

The mature fish usually do not have more than two barbels. A maxillary barbel is longer than its head.

There are irregular white dots on the flanks of these fish, and their stomachs are white. This species of fish usually has a length between the range of 11.8-23.6 in (30-60 cm). The total length of their bodies can reach up to 51.2 in (130 cm).

Soft rays of the dorsum are in the range of 1.6-2.4 in (4-6 cm), soft rays of the anal region are in the range 23.2-34.6 in (59-88 cm). The stomach of this animal is white, and its flanks are covered with irregular white dots.

Amur catfish can reach a maximum weight of 66.1 lb (30 kg). This species has an extra pair of mandibular barbels in juvenile fish of approximately 2.4-2.8 in (6-7 cm) standard length.

How cute are they?

An Amur catfish is actually comical-looking. Catfishes are not at all cute, especially Amur catfishes. The whiskers on their heads are long and ugly. Furthermore, their large mouths don't help with their appearance. As well as being scaleless, their skin is very slimy. Therefore, the Amur catfish cannot be described as cute in any aspect of their appearance.

How do they communicate?

Amur catfish sense vibrations and keep track of their surroundings using a lateral line located on their bodies. The pectoral spines of Clariidae fish are used to communicate. Pheromones are released into the water by the Amur catfish, which communicates by sending out status through signals.

Communication is also facilitated by their sensory organs. Amur catfish have whisker-like antennae that can taste and sense their surroundings.

They can hunt for food using their excellent taste buds. There is a relatively poor vision in the Amur catfish. As a consequence, they rely on smell and taste for survival.

How big is the Amur catfish?

An Amur catfish is 51 in (130 cm) long. The shape of its body is characteristic of a large silurid catfish.

How fast can an Amur catfish swim?

The estimated speed of the Silurus asotus (Amur catfish) is 0.7-0.9 mph (1.1-1.4 kph). But it is known that they swim at great depths.

How much does an Amur catfish weigh?

The Amur catfish has a weight of around 66.1 lb (30 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for different sexes of Amur catfish. They are simply called female Amur catfish and male Amur catfish.

What would you call a baby Amur catfish?

Baby Amur catfish are called fry.

What do they eat?

Amur catfish are an invasive species as they feed on the bottom of the water. Its food includes all types of fish. They feed on everything from worms to small crustaceans to clams, mussels, fish, and crabs. Small insects are the primary food source for young fry.

Are they dangerous?

A big catfish like this one has predatory instincts and has taken people under instead of just biting and leaving them alone like some freshwater fish.

Would they make a good pet?

No, they are not usually kept as a pet.

Did you know...

Amur catfish (Silurus asotus) are mainly consumed as food. Farmers in Japan cultivate it commercially. This fish is used to make maeun-tang (spicy fish soup) in Korean cuisine and is known as megi (catfish). They are also used for aquaculture purposes.

What is the other name of Amur catfish?

The other name for Silurus asotus (Amur catfish) is Japanese common catfish. It is also known by a common name as manamazu in Japan. Named namazu by the locals, the fish derives its name from nameraka, meaning smooth or slippery. The original Chinese character was Ayu, but that is now used for sweet fish.

How is Amur catfish different from a regular catfish?

Amur catfish do not have a spine before the dorsal fins or adipose fins, plus they lack pelvic fins or have very small ones. Silurus glanis, the Welsh catfish, is the largest species in this group, which can reach lengths of more than 9.8 ft (3 m) and weigh more than 308.6 lb (140 kg).

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our blue catfish facts and Mekong giant catfish facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable amur catfish coloring pages.

Main image by Cliff1066.

Second image by BFS Man.

*We've been unable to source an image of an Amur catfish and have used an image of a red-tailed catfish instead as the main image. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of an Amur catfish, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.