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Catfishes (Siluriformes) are a very diverse group of fishes. Most are found in freshwater environments of all kinds, but there are also a couple of Atlantic Ocean species. They range in size and behavior from well over a hundred pound fish eaters, to detritivores (species that eat dead material on the bottom), even to a tiny parasitic species commonly called the candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa).
Catfish thumbnail
Larger catfish
They belong to a superorder called the Ostariophysi, which also includes the Cypriniformes, Characiformes, and Gymnotiformes.