Wallowing Walking Catfish

photo courtesy of nbii

Clairias Lazera, or the walking catfish, is a non-native species brought to the U. S. by native fishermen. Its indigenous home is Africa and India. In the United States, walking catfish can be found in Florida, Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. The reason this species is invasive is because it eats everything that fits in its mouth. The walking catfish can survive out of water for about eight hours. Instead of breathing air through its gills, it gulps air without using its gills at all. The walking catfish is said to withstand periods of drought by burrowing in the mud of dried-up pools. As you can see at the link below, the walking catfish doesn't actually walk, it slithers.

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