Community Magazine June 2019

100 Community Magazine Exploring the Mysteries of the Animal Kingdom Torah Although the catfish was created with a pair of regular eyes, it is its barbels that it uses to search for and find food. The barbels of the catfish truly function as an additional set of “eyes” that actually provide the creature with a greater sense of vision. As Jews, we have been blessed by Hashem with more than a pair of physical eyes. Every Jew was created with another set of eyes which, if used properly, will provide him with a better and more sensitive sense of vision. These are our “spiritual” eyes, which enable us to understand spiritual concepts, thereby helping us differentiate between good and bad. Indeed, in Hebrew, the term “ro'eh” The walking catfish ( Clarias batrachus ) is a species of catfish that can “walk” across dry land to another body of water. While it does not truly walk, it has the ability to use its fins to move over land! The whiskers on a catfish are actually called barbels . Catfish, which are so named because of these cat-like whiskers, use their barbels to search for and taste food. Although catfish have eyesight, they don't need it to locate a meal. Unlike cats, whose whiskers are made of hair, the catfish’s barbels are thin, sensory organs that are covered with taste buds. Catfish are fish that usually live in dark, muddy, and murky waters at the bottom of oceans, rivers, or streams. Because visibility is extremely low in such waters, a strong sense of taste is very important for the catfish, as that helps it find food. The catfish is actually considered to have one of the highest developed senses of taste in the world. This is because catfish typically have over 100,000 taste buds, and some species have over 200,000 of them! That’s pretty impressive, considering that on average a person has 9,000 taste buds, a dog has 1,200 of them, and a cat has 450 of them! The catfish’s taste buds are located all over its body, with most concentrated on its barbels. The barbels enable the catfish to not only taste when dinner is nearby, but also to hone in on the food’s exact location. Catfish generally feed on insects, fish, worms, frogs, and occasionally small reptiles and mammals. Why Do Catfish Have “ Whiskers ” ? Fish Crossing!