Scientific Name- Wallago attu (Bloch & Scheider, 1801)
Common Name- Boal, Fresh water shark
Local Name- Burari
Classification
| Class | Osteichthyes |
| Sub-Class | Aetinopterygii |
| Order | Siluriformes |
| Family | Siluridae |
| Genus | Wallago |
| Species | attu |
| Class | Osteichthyes |
Habits and habitat
It is found in all over Bihar. It lives in ponds, tanks, chaurs, mauns, floodplain area, rivers, canals, reservoirs and other water logging area. Mostly thrives well in maun and reservoir for a safe zone.
Salient features
The body is elongated, moderately compressed ventrally. It has dusky with brownish green colour on back and tip of dorsal side, glossy silvery purple colour on flanks. All fins have light reddish yellow colour. Mouth is very large and fairy. Skin is extremely smooth. Head beyond upside is well developed. Maxillary and mandibular barbels are present but there is no nasal barbel.
Dorsal fin reduced to modified into the moderately strong spine. The anal fin is very long and continued to caudal fin but not attached to the caudal fin. Fish usually hides under holes in the bank of tanks, beels and reservoir. It inhabits deeper zone in still water or slow-flowing water with mud or silty soil. They have a very peculiar character that during the day the species is quiet and not aggressive.
This fish is highly carnivorous. It feeds on fishes, insects, plankton, larvae in young ones, crustaceans, molluscan, worms and other aquatic animals. This species is very popular and liked as food but the small size of fish is liked for the aquarium. People know them as predator fish. It breeds in summer in nature. It attains a length of 240cm and weight of 45.0kg.
source-
- Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore
