Marine catfishes are bottom-living fishes found in mangrove areas, large river estuaries, and turbid waters, as well as in fully marine waters and clear fresh waters. Some of them are omnivorous and some feed on small fishes, molluscs and crustaceans.
There are 30 genera and more than 147 species of Ariidae worldwide. Malaysia has 11 genera and about 25 species, with 3 species that enter freshwater.