Catfish is the largest freshwater predator. It lives in whirlpools and cluttered river pits. At the age of one hundred, it can reach a weight of 300 kg and a five-meter length. There are a lot of tales and legends about catfishes, in the contents of the stomach of which the remains of people are found. Whether these stories are plausible, and whether a catfish can eat a person, we will learn further.
Historical facts
Catfish fish are found in all major rivers of Russia, as well as in Latin America, Canada, the USA and Europe. According to scientists, catfish survive to one hundred years and grow up to five meters in length. He is able to attack any living creature that meets on the surface of the water. But this predator, unlike a shark, does not tear a piece from prey, the structure of its teeth resembles a brush, they are small, often located and bent inward. Grabbing prey, he is not able to let it go, so he swallows it whole or drags it to the bottom. Can catfish eat humans? Most likely no, but to sink yes. He grabs the careless bather by the leg and drags him to the bottom. Such cases are very rare, but according to scientists, there is documentary evidence.
Catfish Description
A resident of whirlpools and littered pits, catfish is the largest freshwater predator. It has a powerful long body that does not contain scales and is covered with mucus, which facilitates sliding along the bottom of the reservoir. The color is brown and varies depending on the habitat, the belly is white. The head is wide and flat with a large mouth and many small teeth. On the upper jaw are two large whiskers and four small ones on the lower. They serve as organs of touch and help to find food. Eyes are small and blind.
The long and powerful tail looks a little like a fish. Fin located on the back, small, anal - wide, long and connected to the tail. Catfish prefers a near-bottom lifestyle. It is unpretentious in nutrition: it consumes plant foods, small fish, shells, larvae, crayfish, frogs, mice, birds and any other living creatures that have fallen into the water. Do not shun carrion. There is doubtful information about whether catfish can eat a person. But a dog or a calf, accidentally caught in the water, will drag a large and hungry catfish under the water and eat it.
Cat-eater
Many different legends are associated with this fish, it is often called the killer fish. The predator goes hunting in the evenings, getting out of his daytime shelter, located at the bottom of the reservoir. A large fish is able to break fishing nets and eat prey, hit the water with its powerful tail and turn over the boat with the fishermen. Eyewitness accounts indicate an attack by catfish on birds, animals and humans, but most of all he adores carrion. Can catfish eat a person in water? He is considered to be an omnivorous fish, but he is not seen in the hunt for people, although he feeds on corpses.
It is noted that during hunting for animals, catfish grabs them with their mouths and drags them to the bottom, hides them under snags and waits for the tissues to decompose and the prey to become soft. At night, the fish approaches the shore in search of food. The predator does not like muddy water and leaves its shelter during the rainy season. He finds food using his sense of smell. Therefore, fishermen use food waste and animal guts as top dressing. Fishing is carried out on bottom gear.
Catfish breeding
The maturity of predators occurs after reaching the age of five. Spawning begins from the end of May until mid-June, when the water becomes warm enough. The fish rises from the bottom and looks for suitable places for laying eggs. It can be shady backwaters, slow channels, secluded places in shallow water in thickets of reeds. During the courtship, the catfish chase each other for a long time, causing a strong splash and noise. A female individual elects the largest male as her partner.
Together they go to a pre-selected place where, with the help of pectoral fins, she digs a hole for laying eggs, which may be more than half a million. They begin to hatch in about a week, and after two already settle in the pond. After this, a couple of catfish breaks up and each floats away to its habitat.
Forbidden fish
As mentioned above, many different legends and beliefs are passed on about catfish by word of mouth. Among the ancient Slavs, he was considered a "damn horse" of water, which instead of reins used a mustache of fish. In connection with this fact, people had a fear of a huge monster. They seriously thought about whether a catfish can eat a man, because he delivers water drowned men. At that time in Russia it was strictly forbidden to engage in fishing for catfish. But there were real reasons to fear the predator.
Large fish, unlike small and medium-sized individuals, are not easy to feed themselves. Therefore, the freshwater giant was nicknamed the cleaner of river reservoirs, which feeds on carrion found at great depths. And sometimes he grabs small animals and birds in the water.
Interesting facts about catfish
Toothy alligators and giant snakes are not found in the rivers of Russia. For swimmers, they seem completely safe ponds. Few of them think about whether catfish can drag a person under water and eat. This fish lives in all major rivers of the country and its individual specimens, reaching enormous size, can drown a person by grabbing his leg, and then eat it. It is noted that som:
- Very smart and cunning predator. He lies in cover with an open mouth and moves a mustache, imitating worms. As production approaches, he draws water into himself, sucking everything edible with it.
- Gluttonous fish. He does not shun edible anything that falls into the water: a waterfowl; a nest with chicks hanging above the water; a dog or a calf entering a river.
- Individual specimens reach up to 5 meters and weigh 400 kg.
- The color of the fish varies from habitat from yellow to black.
- A dangerous predator can drown a person.
Expert opinion
Can catfish eat a man? According to the head of the laboratory of the Kazakh Institute of Fisheries, the rumor about cannibal catfish is fiction. The first thing he notes is that there aren’t so many huge fish in the water. Secondly, predators do not pose a danger similar to sharks. He believes that there are catfish no more than 2.5 meters in length. But to say that they are cannibals is wrong. Catfish is a shy fish and never fits where people bathe. In addition, large individuals are found exclusively at great depths.
It is possible that human remains were found in the stomachs of huge catfish, because they feed on carrion. And the decomposed corpse of a drowned man serves as food for a predator. Not a single confirmed fact that catfish once ate people does not exist. But catfish really catch and eat large fish, poultry and small animals.
Security measures
Can catfish eat a man? In fact, the attacks of these predators on humans have not been identified, but beware will not be superfluous. What attracts catfish:
- Noise - forces the giant to get out of the shelter and track down the victim.
- Smells - a special susceptibility to various aromas (seasonings, perfumes, deodorants, colognes) excites a predator and serves as a bait.
When swimming, it is better to stay away from the whirlpools, where the catfish often obsolete and do not swim to great depths.
Conclusion
Can catfish eat humans in water? Theoretically, catfish can drown a person, but most likely they are not able to swallow. If we assume that the length of the catfish is 2.5 meters, then its stomach is much smaller and approximately one third of the body length. It is unlikely that an adult will fit. Given the descriptions of the destruction of lambs by catfish, it is possible to assume that giant catfish could attack and swallow small children. But, most likely, the presence of human remains in the stomach of catfish is not associated with actual attacks, but with eating dead bodies located at the bottom of the reservoir. Still, you shouldn’t definitely call som cannibals.