Description
One of the largest freshwater fish in Europe, a predator active mostly at night.
How to identify it
Six barbels, wide flat head, no scales, very long anal fin.
Appearance
Enormous, elongated body, massive at the front and compressed towards the tail, scaleless and covered in abundant slime. The head is broad and flat, with a very wide mouth packed with tiny teeth. On the upper jaw stand out two very long barbels, and under the chin there are four shorter ones. The dorsal fin is tiny, while the anal fin runs very long to the tail. The colour depends on the water: almost black in clear water, marbled green-brown in turbid water, with the belly always pale.
Habitat and habits
It lives in large, deep, slow rivers, warm lakes and reservoirs. By day it stays hidden near the bottom, in holes, under submerged trees, roots and undercut banks. It goes out hunting mainly at dusk and at night, when it ventures even into shallow water; to find prey it relies more on hearing and smell than on sight. It loves warm water: activity grows with the summer, while in the cold it slows down and retreats to the deeper areas.
There's more in the app
This species' bite index, recommended baits and methods, and the rules of the day for every water. Offline too.
Soon on Android and iPhone
