Wels or sheat fish (Silurus glanis) is found from eastern France east to the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and even beyond the Aral Sea. This species can become gigantic. Examples are known over 12 feet in length. We have seen notations of an example over 16 feet in length. This catfish has a tiny dorsal fin and a very unusual long anal fin that extends along the bottom of the rear half of the body. The tail is small.

Silurus genus of catfish can be found in Eurasia from Europe east to Japan and Korea. This family contains several large species, and also several species of economic importance. The following check list is based on one found in An Atlas of Freshwater and Marine Catfish by Dr. Warren Burgess:

Silurus aristotelis - Greece, Europe
Silurus asotus - Asia
Silurus berdmorei - India
Silurus biwaensis - Lake Biwa-Ko , Japan
Silurus chantrei - Asia Minor (?)
Silurus cinereus - Yangtze, China
Silurus cochinchinesis - SE Asia
Silurus(?) furnessi - Borneo
Silurus gangetica(?) - India
Silurus gilberti - Lunchow, China
Silurus glanis - Europe
Silurus goae - India
Silurus grahami - Yunnan, China
Silurus lithophilus - Lake Biwa-Ko, Japan
Silurus mento - Yunnan, China
Silurus microdorsalis - Korea
Silurus soldatovi - Amur River (Eastern USSR)

The Siluridae family is found in the Old World. There are several very large species of freshwater catfish found in this family. Many species are found in warmer and tropical areas. The mouth is wide, and there are at leat two pairs of barbels. These fish are without scales.

Catfish, Order Siluriformes, are found throughout the world. Although most of them are freshwater kinds, a few are found in a marine environment. They are characterized by having whiskers and barbels around their mouths. Many search for their food by smell and make little use of their small eyes.

Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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