Catfish are opportunistic in their feeding habits, eating both live and dead animal material. There are 12 representatives of this family found in Iowa. The bodies of sunfish are deeply compressed laterally and the spiny and soft portions of the dorsal fin are connected. The dorsal fin is distinctly separated into an anterior spiny portion and a posterior soft portion. They also have a large bone on the gill cover that ends in a flat spine.
All family members are strictly carnivorous.