Professional angler Martin Glatz was surprised when a huge yellow creature jumped out of the water and into his boat. It turned out to be a giant yellow catfish.
Glatz was fishing in a lake in Holland with his twin brother Oliver. Throughout his life, he has caught many types of fish, including catfish. But there has never been anything like this.
"I've never seen a catfish like that before. I'm still surprised and troubled by the catch," Glatz said as quoted from Live Science, Friday (10/22/2021).
The fish is a type of Wels, also called the sheatfish and has the scientific name Silurus glanis. Wels are a large species of catfish native to large areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, as well as in the basins of the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this fish is known for its enormous size, can grow to at least 2.7 meters long and weigh up to 130 kilograms.
But the Wels catfish itself rarely looks as yellow as a banana like the fish caught by Glatz. Most Wels catfish have a dark greenish black body, with some yellow spots.
NOAA said the yellow catfish may have leucism, a rare genetic disorder that causes reduced pigmentation of the skin and hair.
In mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish, leucism produces striking appearances such as yellow penguins and white killer whales. In 2017, a leucistic yellow catfish was also spotted in the Mississippi River in Iowa, United States, and made local newspaper headlines.
Although they look beautiful and rare to humans, leucistic animals suffer in the wild. With their bright looking bodies, leucistic animals stand out, making it easier for predators to prey on them.
This Welsh catfish seems to live a long time, and will probably grow even bigger. After taking a few photos, Glatz released the fish back into the water in hopes that it would grow very large.
