Wels catfish
Silurus glanis Linnaeus, 1758
The wels catfish (Silurus glanis) is a bony fish in the family Siluridae, order Siluriformes. It was named by Linnaeus, 1758, and belongs to the genus Silurus in the class Teleostei.
Quick facts about the wels catfish
The IUCN Red List assesses the wels catfish globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category. Other English names for the species are Wels, Wells, Sheat, Catfish and Sheatfish.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 1.3 m – 1.6 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- arthropods, vertebratessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- freshwater, riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the wels catfish?
What does the wels catfish eat, and what eats it?
Species recorded in published studies and collections.
Recorded prey of the wels catfish
12 on record
- Common roach Rutilus rutilus5 sources
- Common bleak Alburnus alburnus5 sources
- Crucian carp Carassius carassius5 sources
- Common carp Cyprinus carpio5 sources
- European perch Perca fluviatilis5 sources
- Common rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus5 sources
- Tench Tinca tinca5 sources
- Northern pike Esox lucius4 sources
- Common bream Abramis brama4 sources
- Spine loach Cobitis taenia4 sources
- Zander Sander lucioperca4 sources
- Spot Leiostomus xanthurus2 sources
Recorded predators of the wels catfish
4 on record
- Northern pike Esox lucius5 sources
- Great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo4 sources
- Shoulderspot needlefish Strongylura scapularis3 sources
- Viperine snake Natrix maura3 sources
Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).
References for these records
- Globi
- Poelen, J. H. Global Biotic Interactions: Interpreted Data Products. Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5708970 (2021).
- Reji Chacko, M., Albouy, C., Altermatt, F., Brändle, M., Casanelles Abella, J., Boussange, V., Campell, F., Ellis, W. N., Fopp, F., Gossner, M. M., Ho., H., Joss, A., Kipf, P., Neff, F., Petrović, A., Prié, V., Tomanović, Ž., Zimmerli, N., Pellissier, L. (2024). trophiCH v1 - a food web for Switzerl
- Ho, H.-C. (2022). Data and R script (Blue and green food webs respond differently to elevation and land use) [Dataset]. figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17817152.v1
- FishBase
- Christian, RR., Luczkovich JJ. (1999) Organizing and understanding a winter’s seagrass foodweb network through effective trophic levels
- @article{Christian_1999, doi = {10.1016/s0304-3800(99)00022-8}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0304-3800%2899%2900022-8},year = 1999,month = {apr},publisher = {Elsevier {BV}},volume = {117},number = {1},pages = {99--124},author = {Robert R. Christian and Joseph J. Luczkovich},title = {Organizing
- Myers, P., Espinosa, R., Parr, C. S., Jones, T., Hammond, G. S., & Dewey, T. A. (2023). The Animal Diversity Web [Dataset]. Retrieved 15 February 2023, from https://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/quaardvark/
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/147336261
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6547777
- Cruz-Escalona, V.H., Arrequin-Sanchez, F., Zetina-Rejon, M. (2007) Analysis of the ecosystem structure of Laguna Alvarado, western Gulf of Mexico, by means of a mass balance model. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 72 (155-167)
- @article{Cruz_Escalona_2007, doi = {10.1016/j.ecss.2006.10.013}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.ecss.2006.10.013}, year = 2007, month = {mar}, publisher = {Elsevier {BV}}, volume = {72}, number = {1-2}, pages = {155--167}, author = {V.H. Cruz-Escalona and F. Arreguin-Sanchez and M. Zetina-Rejon,
How common is the wels catfish in English rivers?
The wels catfish was caught in 7 of 66,062 surveys (0%) at 6 sites in England, 2001 to 2019.
- Surveys that caught it
- 7 0% of all
- Sites
- 6
- Rivers and waters
- 5
- Fish counted
- 99
Of 92 fish measured, half were under 64.6 cm, and nine in ten were between 40.4 cm and 1.22 m. Surveys catch many young fish, so this is smaller than a full-grown adult.
| Decade | Caught in | Surveys | Share | Share as a bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 213 | 0% | |
| 1980s | 0 | 3,465 | 0% | |
| 1990s | 0 | 12,897 | 0% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 22,175 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 19,056 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 8,256 | 0% |
Waters with the most surveys that caught it
- Lincolnshire Lakes3 surveys
- River Hull1 surveys
- Manchester1 surveys
- Pools1 surveys
- River Kird1 surveys
Counts of surveys, not of fish in the wild: where and how often the Agency surveys has changed over the years. Source: Environment Agency freshwater fish surveys. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photos of the wels catfish
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the wels catfish live?
Not recorded
Where has it been introduced?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the wels catfish as introduced in 16 countries, and flagged as invasive in 7 of them.
- Algeriainvasive
- Chinainvasive
- Franceinvasive
- Italyinvasive
- Spaininvasive
- Tunisiainvasive
- United Kingdominvasive
- Albania
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Kazakhstan
- Portugal
- Russia
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Vietnam
Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).
What is the wels catfish?
The wels catfish ( or ; Silurus glanis), also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been introduced to several countries in Western Europe, Mediterranean and Asia as a prized sport fish. Its modern day range spans from the United Kingdom in the west to western China in the east.
From the Wikipedia article “Wels catfish” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wels_catfish&oldid=1380783402), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the wels catfish sound like?
Is the wels catfish endangered?
The wels catfish is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the wels catfish classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familySiluridae
- genusSilurus
- SpeciesSilurus glanis Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Siluris glanis, Silurus glanis aralensis, Silurus glanis var. aralensis, Silurus silurus
Other names and names in other languages (153)
- CatfishEnglish
- Danube catfishEnglish
- European catfishEnglish
- SheatEnglish
- SheatfishEnglish
- Som catfishEnglish
- WellsEnglish
- WelsEnglish
- سلورياتArabic
- جري ويلسArabic
- سلور أوربيArabic
- سلور الدانوبArabic
- سلور ويلسArabic
- قرموط ويلسArabic
- جري أو سمكة نهرية دون زعانفArabic
- Naqqa balığıAzerbaijani
- ЙәйенBashkir
- Звычайны сомBelarusian
- Еўрапейскі сомBelarusian
- СомBulgarian
- SilurCatalan
- ШиголMari
- ÇуйăнChuvash
- 欧鲶(引进)Chinese
- 歐鯰(引進)Chinese
- Sumec velkýCzech
- Sumec obecnyCzech
- Zwëczajny wąsôczKashubian
- pencathWelsh
- PencathodWelsh
- malleDanish
- Europæisk malleDanish
- WelsGerman
- DonauwelsGerman
- Europäische WelsGerman
- Europäischer flußwelsGerman
- Europäischer WelsGerman
- FlusswelsGerman
- SchadenGerman
- SchaidGerman
- SchaidenGerman
- SchaidfischGerman
- SchaitGerman
- ScharnGerman
- ScheidGerman
- ScheidelGerman
- UwelraGerman
- WälinGerman
- WälinenGerman
- WallerGerman
- WallerfischGerman
- WellerGerman
- WelroGerman
- WilsGerman
- WilßGerman
- WölzGerman
- ΓιαγίνιGreek
- ΓουλιανόςGreek
- GlanidiGreek
- GoulianosGreek
- siluroSpanish
- Siluro europeoSpanish
- SägaEstonian
- Harilik sägaEstonian
- SiluruBasque
- اسبلهPersian
- گربه ماهيPersian
- گربه ماهي روگاهيPersian
- EsbelePersian
- Esbele EuropaiyePersian
- EsbelehPersian
- Gorba-mahiPersian
- Mahi-e SebiliPersian
- SäkiäFinnish
- monniFinnish
- silure glaneFrench
- cat fionnuisce EorpachIrish
- סילור אירופיHebrew
- שפמנון אירופיHebrew
- europski sumUpper Sorbian
- HarcsaHungarian
- Európai harcsaHungarian
- Սովորական լոքոArmenian
- FengraniIcelandic
- Siluro d'EuropaItalian
- ヨーロッパオオナマズJapanese
- ლოქოGeorgian
- ღლავიGeorgian
- ЖайынKazakh
- جايىنKazakh
- JaýınKazakh
- 웰스 메기Korean
- ЖаянKyrgyz
- Europäesche WelsLuxembourgish
- NgɔlɔLingala
- paprastasis šamasLithuanian
- SamsLatvian
- Eiropas samsLatvian
- СигалMoksha
- meervalDutch
- Europese meervalDutch
- Europeisk malleNorwegian
- ЛокоOssetic
- SumPolish
- sum europejskiPolish
- Sum pospolityPolish
- KalisPrussian
- Siluro-europeuPortuguese
- Peixe-gato-europeuPortuguese
- Silurus glanisPortuguese
- SomnRomanian
- balaurRomanian
- codăuRomanian
- IapracRomanian
- IarmaRomanian
- MoacaRomanian
- Somn-panaRomanian
- SomoteiRomanian
- ObyknovennyiRussian
- Европейский сомRussian
- Обыкновенный сомRussian
- Сом обыкновенныйRussian
- сом европейскийRussian
- обыкновенный (европейский) сомRussian
- Obyknovennyi somRussian
- ГарчRusyn
- ŠamsSamogitian
- Sumec veľkýSlovak
- Sumec obycajnýSlovak
- Sumec západnýSlovak
- somSlovenian
- Evropski somSlovenian
- Navadni somSlovenian
- siluriAlbanian
- peshku mace europianAlbanian
- malSwedish
- ҖәенTatar
- CäyenTatar
- ЛаққамоҳӣTajik
- LaqqamohīTajik
- ปลาเวลส์Thai
- Adaty lakgaTurkmen
- YayınTurkish
- Bayağı yayın balığıTurkish
- yayin baligiTurkish
- yayın balığıTurkish
- Rechnoi somUkrainian
- Сом звичайнийUkrainian
- Сом європейськийUkrainian
- Laqqa baliqUzbek
- Cá nheo châu ÂuVietnamese
- 歐洲巨鯰Cantonese
- 歐鯰Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the wels catfish
Other species in the same genus Silurus.
Amur catfish
Silurus asotus
Acheloos catfish
Silurus aristotelis
Giant Lake Biwa catfish
Silurus biwaensis
Northern sheatfish
Silurus soldatovi
Kumming catfish
Silurus mento
Rock catfish
Silurus lithophilus
CompareWels catfish vs Amur catfishWels catfish vs Acheloos catfishWels catfish vs Giant Lake Biwa catfishWels catfish vs Northern sheatfish
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the wels catfish?
The wels catfish is a bony fish in the family Siluridae, part of the order Siluriformes.
What is the scientific name of the wels catfish?
Its scientific name is Silurus glanis, in the genus Silurus.
Who named the wels catfish and when?
The wels catfish was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
Is the wels catfish endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
What other names does the wels catfish have?
Other English names are Wels, Wells, Sheat, Catfish and Sheatfish.
Is the wels catfish an invasive species?
In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the wels catfish as invasive in 7 countries, including Algeria, China, France, Italy and Spain. It lists it as introduced in 16 in all.
What eats the wels catfish?
Animals recorded preying on the wels catfish include northern pike, great cormorant, shoulderspot needlefish and viperine snake. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.
Which animals does the wels catfish eat?
Animals recorded as prey of the wels catfish include common roach, common bleak, crucian carp and common carp. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Environment Agency freshwater fish surveys (National Fish Populations Database) · OGL v3.0 · 2026-11-14
Environment Agency. Freshwater fish surveys (NFPD). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right. https://environment.data.gov.uk/ecology/explorer/ - Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products · CC0 1.0 · 0.11
Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference. - Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-11-13
Pagad, S., Genovesi, P., Carnevali, L., Schigel, D. & McGeoch, M.A. (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data 5: 170202. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.202. Country checklists published through GBIF by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Wels catfish (Silurus glanis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/wels-catfish
“Wels catfish (Silurus glanis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/wels-catfish.
@misc{wels_catfish_2026,
title = {Wels catfish (Silurus glanis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/wels-catfish},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}