Common Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus)
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| A mid-sized Common Walking Catfish found in a roadside stream. |
Family: Clariidae
Species Name: Clarias batrachus
Common Name: Common Walking Catfish
Presence in Singapore: Native
Habitat: Various freshwater bodies such as drains, forest streams and catchments.
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (Red Data Book 3)
The most widespread and common of the three native Walking Catfishes in Singapore, it can be found in various freshwater habitats such as drains and forest streams. Like all walking catfishes, they have the ability to breathe air and even travel short distances on land to search for new water bodies. Their scaleless skin is covered in mucus which helps protect it outside of water.
Growing up to a maximum size of almost 50cm, this opportunistic predator feeds by sifting through sediment and leaf litter for prey such as small fishes and invertebrates, which it uses its sensitive barbels to feel for. Being nocturnal, they seek shelter among vegetation and under rocks in the day or when disturbed. Smaller individuals display a rows of spots similar to the native Forest Walking Catfish (Clarias leicanthus) but can be identified via the narrower gap between the long dorsal fin and the occipital process (the head's bony plates). The Forest Walking Catfish also has a limited distribution and a preference for deeper forest streams and catchments.
Common Name: Common Walking Catfish
Presence in Singapore: Native
Habitat: Various freshwater bodies such as drains, forest streams and catchments.
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (Red Data Book 3)
The most widespread and common of the three native Walking Catfishes in Singapore, it can be found in various freshwater habitats such as drains and forest streams. Like all walking catfishes, they have the ability to breathe air and even travel short distances on land to search for new water bodies. Their scaleless skin is covered in mucus which helps protect it outside of water.
Growing up to a maximum size of almost 50cm, this opportunistic predator feeds by sifting through sediment and leaf litter for prey such as small fishes and invertebrates, which it uses its sensitive barbels to feel for. Being nocturnal, they seek shelter among vegetation and under rocks in the day or when disturbed. Smaller individuals display a rows of spots similar to the native Forest Walking Catfish (Clarias leicanthus) but can be identified via the narrower gap between the long dorsal fin and the occipital process (the head's bony plates). The Forest Walking Catfish also has a limited distribution and a preference for deeper forest streams and catchments.
Despite its size and adaptability, it is getting outcompeted and displaced by the highly invasive African Sharptooth Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), which can reach three times the size of the Common Walking Catfish and has a much larger, rectangular head.
References
- Lim, K.P. and Ng, K.L. 1990. A Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre.
- Lim, K.K.P. 2013. African sharp-toothed walking catfish at Upper Seletar. Singapore Biodiversity Records, 2013: 107. National University of Singapore.
- National Parks Board (NParks). Freshwater Fishes. Retrieved from https://www.nparks.gov.sg/nature/species-list/freshwater-fishes.
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