Is a catfish an amphibian? Because of its smooth skin and ability to breath air?
A catfish is a fish and not an amphibian. The class amphibia consist of three orders comprising roughly 4000 species. Amphibian means “two lives” and refers to the fact that almost all amphibians begin their life in an aquatic form and change to a terrestrial form at adulthood. The osteichthys, or bony fishes (to which catfishes belong), encompasses over 30,000 species. The bony fishes do not undergo the metamorphosis that amphibia do. They also possess a swimbladder organ for buoyancy and their gills are internal and covered by a protective flap called the operculum. The gills of amphibians are always external and unprotected.
