What river holds catfish that are over 200 pounds, is 35 miles wide in some places, and has more water in it than any other in the world because of all the rain that falls from the sky in this part of the world?

sequoianoir

The Amazon The Amazon and its tributaries form the largest volume of water. The Amazon accounts for about 20% of the total water carried to the oceans by rivers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Basin The awesome Amazon is wider and deeper at some points than the English Channel, flowing 6,500km across South America. The jaú (Paulicea lutkeni) is notorious among native people. It grows to 1.5m and can weigh over 100kg. Immense strength gives rise to its reputation for dragging fishermen down into the depths. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/amazon/creatures.shtml Apr 18 08, 4:08 PM

HeavensArrow

This was so interesting to me because I thought we just had catfish here in the states so thanks for the question Dylan & sequoianoir for the answer.. Just have to throw this interesting tidbit in I found out.. Brazil has to be considered the catfish capitol of the world! No river system, anywhere in the world, is as rich in fish fauna as the Amazon basin. It is estimated that over 2500 different species of fish occur in the Amazon. The order Siluriformes, or catfish, is the second most diverse and probably the most spectacular group of Amazon species. With 14 families, including about 1000 species, Amazon catfish account for almost half of all the catfish species in the world. Ranging in size from the tiny, 2cm candiru to the gigantic, 3 meter long Brachyplatystoma, or 'piraiba', these fishes occupy tremendously diverse ecological niches. Some are bottom dwellers, some nocturnal. Some are parasites and some are roving predators. Some are completely scaleless while others are heavily covered with bony armor plates. Quite some pictures of catfish in the link below! http://www.acuteangling.com/Catfish/Cattales.html Apr 18 08, 5:13 PM

Matthew_07

The width of the river ranges from one mile to 35 miles. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/Facts/basinfacts.cfm Here is a glimpse into the rich and vibrant underwater life of the Amazon. When the large, serpent-like arapaimas swim past the camera, you will get a close-up look at one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. The ones you can see here range from five to six feet in length, but may reach up to ten feet and weigh 300 pounds. Red-tailed catfish, black pacus, and other fish share this 27,000-gallon aquarium below a living tropical forest. http://sciencecastle.com/sc/index.php/articles/view/137 Apr 19 08, 8:16 AM