Okay, so I'm helping my family dredge dead plants and weeds around dock area of where they live in Northern Wisconsin.
Every so often with the muck we get snails, dragonfly nymphs and these things. At first I was thinking they were tadpoles. I just cupped them, moved them to the shore area where we weren't dredging and let them swim away.
Now one of them had a redish stomach and right after I touched him I started feeling like got stung and saw this single, large spine sticking out of its dorsal area. It had enough umph to draw blood and it's still causing discomfort a good hour after it happened.
Assuming I'm not going to die or need to see a vet. I'm wondering, have been really just rescuing baby channel or flathead catfish and one decided to sting me, or are there tadpoles with spines that I'm not aware of? They look kinda like that so that's why I'm thinking it's a catfish, but I don't see anything about them having a single spine on their dorsal area that's not connected to a fin.
Most can sting, it's under their neck-ish area, especially small ones will sting
Just keep it clean and take pain killers, you'll be ok bro
>>2123802
Tadpoles or the catfish? or both?
But the one that stung me a few times was really small.
>>2123796
Probably a channel cat. They have dorsal spikes and you'll be okay. Been stung plenty of times.
>>2123805
Look up madtoms and tell me. Madtoms have spikes there.
>>2123805
Catfish, though I thought "dorsal" meant stomach, I'm dumb
>>2123808
Those are catfish.
They are shaped like catfish.
They look nothing like tadpoles.
They have incredibly obvious catfish whiskers.
Please never breed.
>>2123810
Did you miss the post about tadpole madtom catfish? You may be actually retarded.
>>2123808
Looks like a madtom.