Name: |
Flathead Catfish |
Other Common
Names: |
Shovelhead cat, mud cat, yellow cat, blue cat, Mississippi cat |
Scientific Name: |
Pylodictis olivaris |
Diet: |
Feeds on fish, especially bullheads |
Habitat: |
Prefers sluggish rivers with deep pools and hard bottoms |
Length: |
Average length is 20 to30 inches |
Identification: |
Dark to olive brown with dark brownish mottlings on sides; anal fin is very short and tail fin is square or slightly notched; head broad and flat |
Photo & text
courtesy of: |
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Iowa Fish and Fishing by James R. Harlan and Everett B. Speaker with James Mayhew; color illustrations by Maynard F. Reece Fishes of Wisconsin by George C. Becker Konrad Schmidt - James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History Fishes of Indiana published by Indiana Department of Conservation, Division of Fish and Game (1964) |