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Tag: catfish

5 Things I Learned About Ripsaw Catfish

February 26, 2025
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Primarily found in waterways throughout the Amazon, you’re looking at the ripsaw catfish. Here are 5 things a non-aquarist learned about this fascinating animal at Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

  1. This species’ genus name—Oxydoras—means sharp skin. With serrated scales and thorn-like hooks for defense along its sides, it’s easy to see how this armored catfish earned the name “ripsaw.”
  2. Interestingly, these catfish reside in both whitewater and blackwater rivers. Whitewater rivers have higher amounts of suspended sediment and low acidity, while blackwater rivers are slow moving, transparent and more acidic.
  3. Also called the “talking catfish,” ripsaws make audible grunts and clicks to communicate.
  4. Like other catfish, a ripsaw’s whiskers are actually sensory organs known as barbels! These organs allow the fish to locate food including larvae, crustaceans and insects.
  5. You may also notice the ripsaw catfish’s downward-facing mouth. This allows it to scoop food from the riverbottom where it combs for its meals.

With a distinct appearance and relatively large size, it’s hard not to notice the ripsaw catfish. Look for one during your next Greater Cleveland Aquarium visit.

5 Things I Learned about Channel Catfish

September 2, 2021
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This whiskered, bottom-dweller generally measures 15-25 inches in length, but it can get bigger. Here are 5 other facts about the channel catfish.

These catfish are most active at night. They are also found to be out more often after rain.

Like other catfish, the channel catfish has no scales. It has sharp and deeply serrated spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins. Sometimes when caught, people are often “stung” by the spines on their fins.

Adult channel catfish consume fish like yellow perch and sunfish as well as snails, algae, snakes, frogs, insects, plants and even birds. At the Aquarium, they often enjoy chopped frozen fish like shiners, minnows and silversides, as well as a prepared gel food—think fish Jell-O—as well as a wide variety of pellet food.

Thanks to the Weberian apparatus, which connects the swim bladder to the ear, they are able to amplify vibrations coming from the swim bladder. This gives the channel catfish great ability to hear what is going on in their surroundings.

Channel catfish can live in fresh, brackish, and even saltwater, but they are generally found in freshwater environments, just like the lakes, ponds and rivers right here in Ohio.

You can take a closer look at the channel catfish and other large Ohio gamefish in the Ohio Lakes & Rivers Gallery at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

– Tyler H.