# Wels catfish (*Silurus glanis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/wels-catfish  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | 1.3 m – 1.6 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | arthropods, vertebrates |
| Habitat | freshwater, riverine |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Recorded prey and predators

Recorded prey: Common roach (*Rutilus rutilus*), Common bleak (*Alburnus alburnus*), Crucian carp (*Carassius carassius*), Common carp (*Cyprinus carpio*), European perch (*Perca fluviatilis*), Common rudd (*Scardinius erythrophthalmus*), Tench (*Tinca tinca*), Northern pike (*Esox lucius*), Common bream (*Abramis brama*), Spine loach (*Cobitis taenia*), Zander (*Sander lucioperca*), Spot (*Leiostomus xanthurus*). Recorded predators: Northern pike (*Esox lucius*), Great cormorant (*Phalacrocorax carbo*), Shoulderspot needlefish (*Strongylura scapularis*), Viperine snake (*Natrix maura*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Introduced range

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists it as introduced in 16 countries, and flagged as invasive in 7 of them. Introduced: Albania, Algeria, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Vietnam. Invasive: Algeria, China, France, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, United Kingdom. Source: https://griis.org/ (CC BY 4.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Teleostei
- order: Siluriformes
- family: Siluridae
- genus: Silurus
- species: *Silurus glanis* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Siluris glanis*, *Silurus glanis aralensis*, *Silurus glanis var. aralensis*, *Silurus silurus*

## Common questions

### 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

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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)](https://environment.data.gov.uk/ecology/explorer/), 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](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), 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)](https://griis.org/), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Wels catfish (Silurus glanis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/wels-catfish