Sorubim, spotted

The predatory Spotted Sorubim in Thailand is a shovel-nosed catfish which is has been imported from the Amazon Basin in South America.
The Spotted Sorubim is a member of the ancient Pimelodidae (whiskered catfishes) family of fishes and is an extremely aggressive freshwater predator inhabiting both running and still waters.
The Spotted Sorubim or ‘Leopard Shovel Nose Catfish’ is a highly distinctive freshwater monster fish with striking pale yellow coloured flanks and a black/brown mottled or spotted colouration on its dorsal surface.
The fish has a smooth body surface without scales with sharp armoured gill covers and a hard bony predorsal plate. The Spotted Sorubim has a compressed shovel-like head shape equipped with long maxillary barbels and bright distinct red fins and caudal (tail).
The Amazonian Spotted Sorubim Catfish actively searches for prey in the murky waters of the Amazon River aided by its highly sensitive barbels located close to its mouth and low profile compressed head shape.
The fish subsists on a diet of both live and dead fish, insects and mollusks in addition to opportunistically feeding on amphibians and possibly small mammals.
This species literally inhale’s prey fish before clamping down on them with grasping sandpaper like pads located inside their mouth before devouring the prey.
Spotted Sorubim in Thailand can be caught whilst fishing with various techniques and can be caught on artificial lures, flies, live and dead fish baits in addition to floating crust and pellets.
The Spotted Sorubim is a spectacular freshwater predator which has been recently introduced to several fishing lakes and ponds throughout Thailand attaining weights approaching 40 kg’s.