Ameiurus natalis
Copyright, Garold W. Sneegas
The Yellow Bullhead is
catfish that lives in ponds, lakes, rivers, and slow-moving
streams. They like to live where there is a lot of
vegetation
(plants). It can grow up to 18
inches long, but is usually much smaller. Bullheads have
large heads compared to the rest of their body. Yellow
Bullheads are dark olive-brown with yellowish sides and
belly. They have small eyes and four pairs of
barbels
(whiskers). Ohio Division of Natural
Areas &Preserves / ScotCat Karsten Hartel Yellow Bullheads, like
most catfish, are more active at night. They search the
bottom for food, using their sense of smell and their
barbels to locate it. Bullheads mostly eat
minnows,
snails, crayfish, and aquatic
insects.
Copyright, Garold W. Sneegas
Yellow Bullheads
spawn
(breed) from May to early June. First, the male constructs a
nest. It's usually a hollowed out area under some structure,
such as an underwater stump. Next, the female lays between
2,000 and 5,000 eggs in the nest. The eggs will hatch in
five to ten day. Both parents will guard their young until
late Summer. Copyright, Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission, www.FloridaFisheries.com
