Shark Catfish Information

The shark catfish belong to the family of fish called Pangasiidae. These shark catfish are generally found in brackish and fresh waters. They are normally located all over southern Asia, starting from Pakistan all the way to Borneo. One of the biggest known freshwater fish is the plant eating Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas. This is one of the endangered species and ranges among the 30 odd members of the catfish family. They can also be referred to as Hexanematichthys seemani, Arius jordani or Tachisurus seemani.

Physically the shark catfish can be identified by its elongated body which is silver in color and it has a belly that is white. The fins of the shark catfish are black and have white tips. The head tends to be broad and it has a large mouth. The eyes of the catfish are quite large and appear to protrude from its head. The Shark Catfish has three sets of barbels; one located on its upper jaw and two are located on the lower jaw. The upper jaw barbels are referred to as the maxillary barbels and then it has the chin barbels. An adult Mekong giant catfish only has the maxillary barbels. The color contrasts tend to fade with its age. The dorsal fin of the shark catfish is located quite far forward, and is set closer to the head. It is often triangular and high, which is why it has the common name. The anal fin of the shark catfish is lengthy, with almost 26 to 45 rays. Pangasiids are noted for their compressed body and their tiny adipose fin. They normally range in size from 60 cm when living in nature but in captivity they are rarely bigger than 38 cm.

An interesting point regarding pet health information for the shark catfish is that they are known to survive very well with the sand shark when kept in captivity. Some of the key points to note with regards to pet health care of the shark catfish is that the catfish needs a mix of fresh water and salt water in its tank. Catfish shark are known to be inhabitants of those sections of the ocean where the sea meets the river. The mixture of fresh and salt water is known as ‘brackish’ water. Some pet health issues to watch out for when one has a pet catfish shark is that even though they do not grow larger than a foot in length, some of them can develop a singular habit of swallowing any other pet inmates in the tank they share that is of a size to fit in its mouth.