Baby catfish is called “Fry” and is only the size of one inch. They are ray-finned fish that possess cat-like whiskers called barbels, so named catfish. They can live up to 10 years and belong to the phylum Chordata.

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Channel catfish (the most popular catfish) can live in freshwater (lakes, ponds) and salty water. Baby catfish feed on insect larvae and other small invertebrates. Their food changes and menu may include crayfish, mussels, snails, and insects as they grow old. This article will describe the physical appearance of baby catfish and how do they look like.

What Baby Catfish Look Like?

Baby catfish hatch from egg mass which appears like a scoop of pudding. They have two and four pairs of barbels on the chin and both sides of the mouth (maxillary), respectively. Barbel may be absent in some species, and its number depends upon the type of catfish. The baby catfish are scaleless and have naked bodies. The baby channel catfish is yellowish and has black dots on the body. But the baby blue catfish is white and doesn’t have black dots on the body. 

Their body shape is very diverse, but most of them are cylindrical. They have fins and tails. They have no teeth and can feed through suction. They are very small and can easily fit in your palm. Their spines (both dorsal and pectoral) release toxins through their epithelial cells, which may cause a strong sting.   

Some species have chemoreceptors on their bodies and can smell each chemical and taste any material they contact. They cannot protrude their mouths because they possess maxilla to support barbels. Their gall bladder is in a reduced form which improves sound production and hearing abilities. Baby catfish take a lot of time to be sexually mature (2-5 years).