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Browse animals

Sharptooth catfish (alien) Clarias gariepinus

Probably the most widely distributed fish in Africa, sharptooth catfish occur in almost any habitat, but thrive in slow-flowing rivers, as well as lakes, or dams. 

They eat almost anything, from seeds and leaves to insects, frogs, birds, small mammals and other fish. 

They can survive in the thick mud of a drying pool, but will also move overland between pools, using their spines to crawl across the damp ground. 

They tend to dominate systems in which they occur. Thus, its introduction into rivers where it does not naturally occur is often at the expense of smaller indigenous fish. 

Large numbers of sharptooth catfish can change entire aquatic ecosystems, by eating up parts of the food chain.