Editing Catfish (section)

===Size===
[[File:Bagarius yarrelli India.png|thumb|Giant ''[[Bagarius yarrelli]]'' (goonch) caught in India. Some goonch in the Kali River grow large enough to supposedly attack humans and [[water buffalo]]]]
Catfish have one of the largest ranges in size within a single order of [[Actinopterygii|bony fish]].<ref name="Bruton"/> Many catfish have a maximum length of under {{convert|12|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Nelson" /> Some of the smallest species of the [[Aspredinidae]] and [[Trichomycteridae]] reach sexual maturity at only {{convert|1|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=tol/>

The [[wels catfish]], ''Silurus glanis'', and the much smaller related [[Aristotle's catfish]], are the only catfish indigenous to [[Europe]]; the former ranges throughout Europe, and the latter is restricted to [[Greece]]. [[Mythology]] and literature record wels catfish of astounding proportions yet are to be proven scientifically. The typical size of the species is about {{convert|1.2–1.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and fish more than {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} are rare. However, they are known to exceed {{convert|2.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight. In July 2009, a catfish weighing {{convert|88|kg|lb}} was caught in the [[River Ebro]], Spain, by an 11-year-old British schoolgirl.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5834754/Schoolgirl-nets-9ft-monster-fish.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5834754/Schoolgirl-nets-9ft-monster-fish.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | location=London | title=Schoolgirl nets 9ft monster fish | date=15 July 2009 | access-date=28 April 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In North America, the largest ''[[Ictalurus furcatus]]'' (blue catfish) caught in the [[Missouri River]] on 20 July 2010, weighed {{convert|59|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The largest [[flathead catfish]], ''Pylodictis olivaris'', ever caught was in [[Independence, Kansas]], weighing {{convert|56|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The biggest flathead catfish caught was by Ken Paulie in the [[Elk City Reservoir]] in Kansas, US on 19 May 1998 weighing {{convert|55.79|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}, which was certified by the International Game Fish Association [[IGFA]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wrec.igfa.org/ |title=IGFA World Records |publisher=International Game Fish Association |access-date=1 November 2015 |archive-date=1 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101064327/http://wrec.igfa.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

These records pale in comparison to a [[Mekong giant catfish]] caught in northern [[Thailand]] on 1 May 2005, and reported to the press almost 2 months later, that weighed {{convert|293|kg|lb}}. This is the largest giant Mekong catfish caught since Thai officials started keeping records in 1981.<ref name=Mekong>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0629_050629_giantcatfish.html|title=Grizzly Bear-Size Catfish Caught in Thailand|date=29 June 2005|access-date=14 July 2006|publisher=National Geographic News|archive-date=30 June 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050630233848/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0629_050629_giantcatfish.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Also in Asia, [[Jeremy Wade]] caught a {{convert|75.5|kg|lb|1|adj=on}} [[Bagarius yarrelli|goonch]] following [[Kali River goonch attacks|three fatal attacks on humans]] in the [[Sharda River|Kali River]] on the [[India]]-[[Nepal]] border. Wade was of the opinion that the offending fish must have been significantly larger than this to have taken an 18-year-old boy, as well as a [[water buffalo]].{{citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=March 2020}}

Piraíba ''([[Brachyplatystoma filamentosum]])'', a [[goliath catfish]], can grow exceptionally large and are native to the Amazon Basin. They can occasionally grow to {{convert|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, as evidenced by numerous catches. Deaths from being swallowed by these fish have been reported in the region.