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)

 

 

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