Wels catfish also pronounced as Wels is a fresh and salty water catfish identifiable by its broad, flat head and wide mouth. The mouth contains lines of many small teeth with two long barbels on upper Jaw and four short barbels on the lower Jaw. The Wels Catfish likes to live in large, warm lakes and deep, slow-flowing rivers, it prefers to live in sheltered and hidden locations usually in holes in the riverbeds. There have maximum length of approximately 3 meter and have maximum weight 150 kg approximately.
It is observed that male secure the nest until the brood hatches which also depends upon water temperature. Wels catfish new born eats annelid worms, insect and small fishes whereas, large size Wels also eats frogs, mice, aquatic birds and rats. They can also attack humans in certain circumstances as seen in one of the episode of Animal Planet where a Wels Catfish of approximately 100 kg drag a man and the man barely escaped with his life.
In Europe Wels Catfish are found in Central, southern and Eastern Europe near Baltic and Caspian seas
Wels Catfish is also used as food but only the flesh of young Silurus glanis (small size Wels Catfish) are used as sea food which have weight nearly 15 kg. The Wels Catfish more than this weight are too fatty and not recommended for sea food.
Wels Catfish
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