Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
bullhead
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
brown bullhead Illustration of a bullhead catfish (Ictalurus natalis) showing a fish with a broad, rounded head, whisker-like barbels around the mouth, and a yellowish-brown body with darker fins.
Quizzes
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024
Animal Factoids
Quick Facts
Also called:
horned pout
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
brown bullhead
brown bullhead Brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus).

bullhead

catfish
Also known as: Ameiurus, Ictalurus, horned pout
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History
Yellow bullhead
Yellow bullheadYellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis).

bullhead, any of several North American freshwater catfishes of the genus Ameiurus (Ictalurus of some authorities) and the family Ictaluridae. Bullheads are related to the channel catfish (I. punctatus) and other large North American species but have squared, rather than forked, tails and are generally less than 30 centimetres (12 inches) long. Bullheads are valued as food and sport fishes. The black bullhead (A. melas) is found in the Mississippi valley, the yellow and brown bullheads (A. natalis and A. nebulosus) east of the Rocky Mountains, and the flat bullhead (A. platycephalus) in the coastal streams between North Carolina and Florida.

The name bullhead is sometimes also applied to sculpins and sea poachers.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.