Introduction to: Gulper Catfish aka Asterophysus Batrachus
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I decided to post on interesting freshwater fishes so that more people are aware that there is more to freshwater fishes than the common goldfish, neon tetras, angelfishes etc
I will start off with my favourite catfish the Gulper Catfish also known as the Ogre Catfish.
Some will say this fish have a face only a mother will love whereas others think that they have a cute grumpy face.
Anyway, what is unique about this fish is that it can swallow a fish twice it's size and at the same time can filter feed like a whale! It's stomach is actually a highly stretchable thin skin.... if it eats a big prey, the skin is stretched so thin you can see the fish in it's stomach still struggling :x
Some information about it:
Common Name: Gulper Catfish, Ogre Catfish
Scientific Name: Asterophysus Batrachus
Max Size: Around 12 inches
Distribution: South America: Orinoco and Rio Negro BasinsDiet: Literally anything it can swallow. There are cases of it eating up the tubifax worm feeder thingy as well. Well known for swallowing arowanas double it's size from hobbyist. Can be trained to be hand fed.
It's a nocturnal fish and prefers to feed in the dark than during daylight conditions.
It is a very easy fish to keep and although it is a scaleless fish, it can recover from extremely serious injuries.
Pictures of the fish: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=961
Video of Gulper Cat eating a fish it's size: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4sKTmxmeKI
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Anyway these are mine:
Mr Brown and �黑
This photo was taken after Mr Brown ate up my Satanoperca Jurupari
And if you're wondering what is a Satanoperca Jurupari, it's this fish :(
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Nice!