General Biology

Abstract

Like other animals, channel catfish are composed of several diverse biological systems that function to integrate and regulate life processes: the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, integumentary, endocrine, muscular, nervous, reproductive, excretory, and skeletal systems. To understand how these systems work, it is essential to know how the catfish is assembled. A detailed description of the morphology of the catfish is beyond the scope of this book; however, a general description of the external and internal anatomy of the catfish is presented. For a more comprehensive treatment of the morphology of channel catfish, the reader is referred to the book Anatomy and Histology of the Channel Catfish (Grizzle and Rogers 1976).