Catfish rely more on this taste and touch response than they do on sight and they are active at night, on dark cloudy days, or in murky muddy water. Catfish are omnivores, which means that they will eat practically any kind of food. There is a band of teeth on the roof of the catfish's mouth that point toward the throat, making it nearly impossible for prey to escape once the catfish grabs it. To deter predators, the catfish has sharp spines on its dorsal and pectoral fins. North American catfish belong in the family Ictaluridae and are distributed throughout the world, with Canada and the United States being home to 37 species.
All catfish have long barbels and smooth, scaleless skin.
The fins are made of soft rays except for sharp spines at the front of the dorsal fin and each of the pectoral fins. The blue catfish is abundant in our largest rivers. They are relatively long-lived with specimens recorded as living 20 years. The blue catfish is more migratory that other species, thus it has a lower tolerance for impoundments. Of commercial importance in some areas are the flathead catfish, channel catfish, and blue catfish.