Do Catfish Have Backbones?

Does Catfish have a backbone? ... They are eel-like, with a cartilage skeleton, notochord

notochord
In anatomy, the notochord is a flexible rod formed of a material similar to cartilage. If a species has a notochord at any stage of its life cycle, it is, by definition, a chordate. ... In Lancelets the notochord persists throughout life as the main structural support of the body.
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, and skull, but no backbone. This is the largest group of fish, including goldfish, tuna, trout, and catfish. They have skeletons made of bone rather than cartilage, and their bodies are covered by bony scales.

Are catfish vertebrates or invertebrates?

As of 2007 there are about 36 extant catfish families, and about 3,093 extant species have been described. This makes the catfish order the second or third most diverse vertebrate order; in fact, 1 out of every 20 vertebrate species is a catfish.

Do all fishes have backbones?

All fish share two traits: they live in water and they have a backbone—they are vertebrates. Apart from these similarities, however, many of the species in this group differ markedly from one another. Fin fish like salmon have gills, are covered in scales, and reproduce by laying eggs.

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins

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Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.