Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Bullhead Whiskers and Spines
By: Tom Berg
The bullhead is part of the catfish family. There are actually three main species of bullhead in the USA: black bullhead, brown bullhead and yellow bullhead. These whiskered fish are very common in lakes, ponds and rivers, and they are regularly caught by fishermen – especially while fishing at night. Bullheads are easily identified by their square tail, whereas most catfish (channel catfish and blue catfish) have a forked tail. The only exception is flathead catfish which also have a square tail, but they are much larger than the typical bullhead.
Bullheads won’t win any beauty contests, and even the name “bullhead” has a negative implication. But there is nothing wrong with bullheads. They are even quite good to eat. In addition to the name bullhead, they are also called mud catfish, mud cat, horned pout and mud pout, just to name a few.
According to an old wives’ tale, bullheads (and catfish) can sting you with their whiskers (also called barbels). This, of course, is not true. The whiskers on a bullhead are completely harmless. They are very soft and flexible, and the fish use these sensitive whiskers to forage for food on the lake bottom.
Bullheads do have a defensive weapon that can hurt you, though: their spines. All species of bullheads have sharp spines on their dorsal fin and their two pectoral fins. The tips of these rigid spines can be very sharp. These spines won’t sting you, either, as long as they don’t break the skin. However, a fish thrashing around at the end of your line might cause one of the spines to puncture your skin, and it will be very painful. If that happens, you have been “finned” or “spined”.
The spines can deliver a mild venom that causes immediate pain and occasionally some swelling. Luckily, the venom is not dangerous and the pain is temporary. Just be sure to handle bullheads with care so you don’t get spined!
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