Silurus biwaensis, the giant Lake Biwa catfish or Biwako-o'namazu (ビワコオオナマズ (Japan)), is a large predatory catfish species endemic to Lake Biwa in Japan.
Giant Lake Biwa catfish | |
---|---|
Giant Lake Biwa Catfish | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Siluriformes |
Family: | Siluridae |
Genus: | Silurus |
Species: | S. biwaensis |
Binomial name | |
Silurus biwaensis Tomoda, 1961 | |
The giant Lake Biwa catfish is very similar to wels catfish, which it is closely related to. It has an elongated cylindrical body and can reach up to 1.18 m (3 ft 10 in) in length and weigh as much as 17 kg (37 lb).[1] The top of the body is dark grey to black in colour while the underside is a pale, whitish colour.
They prey on fish and frogs which live in the lake. S. biwaensis is the largest predatory fish in Lake Biwa.[2] Using telemetry methods researchers tried to explain the migratory behavior of the species. It was found that the fish are more or less site-faithful and mostly stay close to their spawning grounds.[3] Other studies have shown that the sub-populations of the lake hardly mix.[4]
Some fishermen believe that the catfish change their behavior and become very active when an earthquake is imminent.[5] In Japanese mythology, a giant catfish named Namazu causes earthquakes as he moves below the earth's surface.[6]
Taxon identifiers |
---|