Fish
White Catfish
Ameiurus catus · also called white catfishes
A white catfish cruises along the bottom of a coastal plain river, its forked tail the clearest sign to an experienced angler that this isn’t simply another bullhead sharing the same murky water.
Overview
The white catfish, Ameiurus catus, is a mid-sized catfish native to river systems across the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain of the United States, with additional introduced populations established on the West Coast. Its forked tail and intermediate size place it in a distinct middle ground between its smaller bullhead relatives and the much larger channel catfish.
A catfish caught in the middle
Neither as small as a bullhead nor as large as a channel catfish, the white catfish occupies a genuine size niche of its own within the same family, distinguished most easily by the forked tail its rounder-tailed relatives simply don’t have.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable habitat within its native Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain range.
White Catfish: common questions
How can you tell a white catfish from a bullhead?
A white catfish has a distinctly forked tail, a feature that sets it apart at a glance from the more rounded tail typical of bullhead species, even though both belong to the same genus, Ameiurus, making tail shape one of the clearest and easiest ways to distinguish between the two at the water's edge.
How big does a white catfish get?
The white catfish grows to a size intermediate between the smaller bullhead species and the considerably larger channel catfish, occupying a middle ground in size within its family rather than ranking among either the smallest or the largest North American catfish.
Is the white catfish native to the West Coast?
No, the white catfish is native to river systems across the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain of the United States, and it has since been introduced to reservoirs and ponds across parts of the western United States, where it has established populations well outside its original native range.
What does a white catfish eat?
A white catfish is an omnivorous bottom feeder, consuming a broad mix of small fish, invertebrates, and organic material located along the bottom of rivers, ponds, and reservoirs using sensitive barbels around its mouth.