The biggest fish. The largest fish in the world Giant Mekong catfish and common catfish

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This article will describe the real masters of the water element: TOP 10 of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Interesting? Then read on!

Beluga

What is the largest freshwater fish? Its name is Beluga. This is a representative of the sturgeon family, one of the most amazing on the planet. Archaeological studies have shown that beluga appeared about 190 million years ago and lived on Earth along with dinosaurs and crocodiles. Beluga rightfully can claim the title of "The world's largest freshwater fish". This is incredible, but the length of the largest of all the individuals caught was as much as 7.4 meters, and the weight reached one and a half tons! For comparison: a polar bear weighs about 850 kg.

This largest freshwater fish in the world is found in the Azov, Caspian and Black Seas, it spawns in many large rivers about once every 3 years. The female lays eggs in April-May, lays from 300 thousand to 7 million eggs.

Beluga caviar is black in color and is considered the most valuable of all sturgeons. For this reason, huge fish become a desirable prey for poachers. Their mass catch is prohibited by the state. Unfortunately, in recent years, the number of the species has declined markedly. In the IWC, this largest freshwater fish in the world has the status of "critically endangered".

To date, beluga is artificially bred not only in the Russian Federation, but also in other countries. Perhaps such a measure will help increase the number of the species and the beluga will not disappear in the coming years.

The world's largest freshwater fish lives on average 100 years, puberty in males occurs at 12-14 years, and in females at 16-18. Beluga is a predator. It feeds mainly on small fish and mollusks, especially large specimens do not disdain even seals. It usually lives at very great depths in water bodies with strong currents. Despite the fact that the beluga is an independent species, it can hybridize with stellate sturgeon, sterlet, spike, sturgeon. As a result of this practice, viable hybrids were obtained, in particular, the sturgeon sturgeon (Bester). Sturgeon hybrids are successfully grown in

Now you know what is the largest freshwater fish in the world. There is a photo of the beluga in the article.

Kaluga

Freshwater fish from the sturgeon family. Lives in the Amur River. The population has declined significantly due to unrestricted Chinese fishing. Sometimes the fish reaches 5 meters and weighs 1200 kilograms. Kaluga is a predator; in the absence of food, it practices cannibalism. The Red Book of Russia claims that only a few thousand mature individuals exist in nature. On the territory of the Russian Federation, industrial fishing has been prohibited since 1958. It is legal in China.

white sturgeon

It is the largest freshwater fish in North America. Together with beluga and kaluga, it represents the sturgeon family, striking in its huge size. A huge fish has an elongated slender body, no scales.

The largest specimen weighed about 800 kilograms and was over 6 meters long. It lives in fresh waters of the USA and Canada. Prefers large and medium rivers with a weak current.

Bull shark, or blunt shark

It is the largest freshwater fish in South America, Africa and Australia. The life of an individual lasts approximately 30 years.

It is an extremely aggressive predator. One of the few shark species that is comfortable in both salt and fresh water. The length of this fish is 3.5 m, weight - 450 kg. The bull shark lives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Australian Brisbane River is inhabited by a whole population of about 500 individuals. The female carries the cub for 10-11 months, after which she leaves him forever.

This species, along with the tiger, white, is the leader in the number of attacks on people. There are 26 deaths so far.

Giant Mekong catfish and common catfish

These two species shared 5th place among themselves. The giant Mekong catfish is home to the rivers and lakes of Thailand. It is the largest species among its relatives, and for this reason it is often considered and studied separately from the rest. The body length of the fish reaches 4.5-5.0 meters, weight - up to 300 kg. Fish and small animals are the giant catfish's favorite treat.

It has a body length of up to 5 meters, weighs up to 350 kg. Inhabits water bodies of the European part of Russia, as well as eastern and central Europe.

Nile perch

Distributed throughout tropical Africa. The maximum length of one individual is 200 cm, weight - 200 kg. It is a predator, feeds on fish and crustaceans. He bears his fry in the oral cavity. This helps them survive and increases the population.

Arapaima

Considered a river monster of the Amazon. It was first noticed by European scientists in the early 19th century. However, they still have not been able to study all the features of this fish.

Arapaima is able to use atmospheric air as the main source of oxygen. This feature allows her to be a universal predator and hunt not only fish, but also other animals, including birds. Arapaima grow up to 3 meters in length, their weight is 150-190 kg.

Indian carp

Inhabits water bodies of India and Thailand. Prefers still, still water. On average, it grows up to 180 cm and weighs 150 kg. Eats small fish, small crustaceans and worms. Distributed almost throughout Europe, found in Asia. Its weight usually does not exceed 30 kg, the largest recorded carp weighed 70 kg.

paddlefish

It lives in the waters of the eastern part of the United States. In length grows up to 180-220 cm, weight reaches 90 kg. In the seventies of the last century, it was brought to the territory of the USSR. Since then, it has been bred in the Crimea.

common taimen

The largest and oldest fish from the salmon family. Distributed in the eastern part of Russia and Siberia. Likes cold and fast rivers. Taimen is a large representative of the salmon family, reaches 1.5–2.0 m in length and weighs more than 60 kg. It is a dangerous predator. Eats fish.

The largest freshwater fish in Russia

The list of the largest species that are found in freshwater bodies of our country looks like this:

Beluga.
Kaluga.
Common catfish.
Taimen.
Carp.

All of the above fish have been described in this article.

A big fish is a pride for every fisherman.
But what about a fish that is larger than a human being? This is the ultimate dream for every avid angler!

10. Taimen

Taimen is a large fish from the salmon genus, so it is often called nothing more than “Russian salmon”. Its habitat is the large rivers and lakes of Siberia, the Far East and Altai. The predator is able to reach 1 m or more in length and up to 55-60 kg in weight. This species is famous for its aggressive and merciless character. It is believed that the taimen is able to feed on its own cubs. There are no food restrictions for this freshwater species. Russian salmon eats literally everything that comes in its way.

9. Catfish

Catfish is a large freshwater scaleless fish. It lives in lakes, rivers of the European part of Russia, as well as in Europe and the Aral Sea basin. In good conditions, this species grows up to 5 m in length and at the same time gains weight up to 300-400 kg. Despite their large size, the body of catfish is extremely flexible. This allows an active nocturnal predator to quickly get their own food. There is a misconception that this species feeds only on carrion or spoiled food. But it's not. In fact, the main food for catfish are fry, small crustaceans and aquatic insects. And then, such a diet in freshwater fish is only at an early stage of development. Later, it is replenished with live fish, various shellfish and other freshwater animals. There are even cases when the largest catfish attacked small domestic animals and waterfowl.

8. Nile Perch

You can meet the Nile perch in the rivers, lakes and ponds of tropical Africa. It is especially common in the Ethiopian region. The body of a restive predator reaches a length of 1-2 meters and a weight of 200 or more kg. The Nile perch eats crustaceans and various types of fish.

7. Beluga

Beluga belongs to the sturgeon family. This large fish lives in the depths of the Azov, Black and Caspian seas. Beluga can reach a whole ton in weight. At the same time, its body length will be more than 4 meters. Real long-livers belong to this species. The predator can live up to 100 years. In food, the beluga prefers such types of fish as herring, gobies, sprat, etc. Also, the fish likes to eat shellfish, and sometimes it hunts seal cubs - pups.

6. White sturgeon

The white sturgeon is the largest fish found in North America and is ranked sixth in our ranking of the largest fish in the world. It is distributed in fresh waters from the Aleutian Islands to central California. The predator grows up to 6 m in length and can gain weight of 800 kg. This species of large fish is extremely aggressive. Mostly white sturgeon lives at the bottom. The predator feeds on mollusks, worms, and fish.

5. Paddlefish

The paddlefish is a huge freshwater fish that lives primarily in the Mississippi River. It is also possible to meet representatives of this species in a number of large rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. The predatory paddlefish does not pose a threat to humans. However, he likes to feed on individuals of his own species or other fish. And yet most of those who belong to this species are herbivores. They prefer to eat only herbs and plants that usually grow in the depths of fresh water. The maximum recorded body length of the paddlefish is 221 cm. The largest fish can gain weight up to 90 kg. The average lifespan of a paddlefish is 55 years.

4. Carp

Carp is a very large omnivorous fish. This species lives in almost all freshwater rates, reservoirs, rivers and lakes. At the same time, carp prefers to populate quiet, stagnant waters with a hard clay and slightly silted bottom. It is believed that the largest individuals live in Thailand. Carp can reach a weight of more than one hundred kilograms. Typically, fish of this species live for about 15-20 years. The diet of carp includes small fish. Also, predators like to feast on caviar of other fish, crustaceans, worms, insect larvae. During the hunt, it is typical for this species to kill a large number of small fish, because the carp needs food all the time, since it belongs to such fish as stomachless.

3. Skat

Number three on our list of the ten largest freshwater fish in the world is the stingray. The stingray is a beautiful predatory fish that can be found both in tropical seas, in the waters of the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as in fresh water. Most of all fish of this species are common in Asia. Inhabit slopes and shallow water, and depth. The most gigantic individuals reach up to 7-8 m in length. In this case, the slope can gain weight up to 600 kg. Large fish feed mainly on echinoderms, crayfish, mollusks and small fish.

2. Giant Mekong catfish

The giant Mekong catfish lives in the fresh waters of Thailand. It is considered the largest member of its species and therefore is often considered and studied separately from its congeners. The body width of the giant Mekong catfish sometimes reaches more than 2.5 m. The maximum weight of this fish species is 600 kg. Giant Mekong catfish feed on live fish and small freshwater animals.

1. Alligator Gar

Alligator Gar (armored pike) is considered a real monster. This exotic-looking giant fish has been living in the fresh waters of rivers in the southeastern United States of America for over 100 million years. This species is named for its elongated snout and double row of fangs. Alligator Gar has the ability to spend time on land, but not more than 2 hours. The weight of the fish can reach 166 kg. Three meters is the usual length for individuals of this species. Alligator Gar is known for his ferocious and bloodthirsty nature. It feeds on smaller fish, but repeated cases of predator attacks on people have been recorded.

Below is a list of the largest freshwater fish in the world.

Carp is the common name for freshwater fish of the carp family. They are widely distributed in various water bodies around the world. They prefer quiet, stagnant or slow-flowing waters with a hard clay and slightly silty bottom. Able to grow up to 1.2 meters in length and weigh more than 100 kg. They feed on mollusks, crustaceans, worms and insect larvae. The largest carp caught by a British angler in 2013 weighed 45.59 kg.

Common taimen is a species of large freshwater fish, the largest representative of the salmon family. They live in the fast-flowing coldish rivers of Siberia and in the Amur River basin. Common taimen can grow up to 1.5–2 m long and weigh 60–80 kg. However, most of the mature fish caught averaged 70 to 120 cm in length and weighed 15 to 30 kg. The largest specimen caught, recorded by the International Game Fish Association, weighed 41.95 kg and was 156 cm long. The species is listed in the Red Book.

The common catfish is a large freshwater scaleless demersal fish found in deep rivers, deep channels, lakes and reservoirs throughout Europe and Asia. The body length of catfish can reach 5 m, weight - 100 kg. There is a lot of information about giant catfish, reaching 250–300 kg, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of such catfish. It is a typical predator and feeds on fish, large benthic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, waterfowl, small mammals and even relatives. Like pike, catfish is an excellent orderly of reservoirs; it eats sick and weakened fish. Cases of attacks on people are also described.

The Nile perch is a species of large freshwater predatory fish that lives in the basins of the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger rivers, as well as in the lakes of Chad, Volta, Turkana and other reservoirs. Found in Lake Maryut in Egypt. Able to grow up to 2 meters in length, and weigh up to 200 kg. However, adults usually reach a length of 121-137 cm. The Nile perch is a predator that dominates in the waters of residence. It feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and insects. Where food resources are limited, relatives can also be eaten.

Beluga is a species of fish from the sturgeon family. It lives in the White, Caspian, Azov, Black, Adriatic seas, from where it enters the rivers for spawning. Their body length can reach 5 m, weight - 1000 kg (usually they catch individuals up to 2.5 m and weighing up to 200–300 kg). As an exception, according to unconfirmed reports, there were individuals 9 m long and weighing up to 2 tons, if this information is correct, then the beluga can be considered the largest freshwater fish in the world. It feeds mainly on fish, but does not neglect shellfish.

The fifth place in the list of the largest freshwater fish on the planet is occupied by the White sturgeon - a species of fish of the sturgeon family, the largest freshwater fish in North America. It lives at the bottom of slow-moving rivers and bays along the western coast of North America. White sturgeon can grow up to 6.1 m long and weigh 816 kg. It feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and molluscs.

The Chinese paddlefish or psefur is a freshwater fish that lives only in the Yangtze River, sometimes swims in large lakes and the Yellow Sea. Their body length can exceed 3 meters, weight 300 kilograms. There is information that in the 1950s, fishermen caught a paddlefish 7 meters long and weighing about 500 kg, although the reliability of this story is unconfirmed. Feeds on fish and crustaceans. Its meat and caviar are highly valued in China.

The giant freshwater stingray (Himantura polylepis) is a species of freshwater stingray that lives in the tropical waters of several large rivers in Indochina and Kalimantan. Able to grow up to 1.9 m wide and weigh 600 kg. They feed mainly on crustaceans and mollusks, possibly earthworms. The giant freshwater stingray is not aggressive, although they must be handled with care as their venomous long spike can easily pierce human bone. This species is endangered.

The Mississippi shell or alligator pike is a species of large freshwater fish common in the valley of the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries in North and Central America. This is a very fast and strong, but shy fish. According to experts, the Mississippian shell can grow up to 3 m in length and weigh more than 130 kg. In 2011, the largest carapace caught was officially registered, its length was 2.572 m, weight 148 kg. It feeds mainly on fish, small mammals, birds, turtles, etc. There are known cases of attacks on children, fortunately, they never ended fatally. Included in the list of prehistoric fish that were considered extinct.

The giant shilb catfish is the largest endangered freshwater fish. It is found only in the lower reaches of the Mekong River, as well as in the Tonle Sap River and Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Fish of this species can grow up to 3 meters in length and weigh 150–200 kg. They are herbivorous - they feed mainly on algae and phytoplankton. The largest specimen caught in 2005 reached a length of 2.7 m and weighed 293 kg, it was he who was recognized as the largest freshwater fish caught by man.

Mississippi cuirass

Thousands and tens of thousands of species of fish live in the seas and oceans, in the rivers and lakes of the Earth. Many of them amaze the human imagination with their unusual abilities or fantastic appearance.

Among the fish there are real champions in size; we included them in our top 10 largest fish in the world. Of course, our top did not include whales, because a whale is not a fish, but a mammal. When compiling the rating, we decided to take into account both the length of the body of the fish and its mass.

Otherwise, this fish is called a belt-fish. It is found in the warm waters of all oceans except the Arctic. Such a funny name is explained by its appearance: a large fin resembling a crown grows on its head, and a giant is usually found in shoals of herring.

The body of the herring king resembles a ribbon. Its length is about three and a half meters (although there are individuals of five, six and even eleven meters), height - 25 cm, and thickness - 5 cm. The largest belt-fish is listed in the Guinness Book of Records, its length is 11 m, and its weight is 272 kg.

The meat is not usually eaten, although it is not poisonous.

9 Common catfish

One of the largest freshwater fish lives in all European water bodies of Russia, except for the Arctic Ocean. The body length of a catfish can reach 5 meters; the weight of such a fish will be at least 400 kg. It is a valuable commercial fish; fairy tales, proverbs and riddles are complex about catfish (for example, “There are no two catfish in one pool”).

This is a fat brown fish (sometimes also black, light yellow and even albino) with a wonderful mustache; catfish have no scales.

Catfish feeds not only on plankton and crustaceans, but also live fish, mollusks, and can catch waterfowl or small domestic animals.

There are known cases of catfish attacks on humans.

8 Blue Atlantic Marlin

In accordance with their name, these beauties live in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Especially common in the tropics. The female marlin is a quarter larger than the male of the same species and reaches five meters in length; the heaviest fish caught had a mass of 818 kg.

Marlin meat is considered valuable because it is quite fatty, and is especially appreciated by fans of Japanese cuisine. Therefore, too many Marlins are caught for the preparation of gourmet dishes, and in our time, marlins are endangered.

Blue marlin has a blue or blue body with silvery sides, a kind of “spear” is located on the head, very long and strong (its length is up to 20% of the body). Despite the intimidating appearance, marlins are not very aggressive, however, few people have a desire to mess with this fish. Marlin's only enemies are large sharks. He himself hunts shellfish, squid, and mackerel.

Interestingly, the image of this fish adorns the coat of arms of the Bahamas.

7 Moonfish

Finding out which is the largest fish in the world, we learned about such an amazing creature as the moon fish. It belongs to the pufferfish. With a relatively short length of 3.3 m, it weighs more than two tons. Moon-fish prefers the warm waters of the oceans, feeds on jellyfish and algae.

Moon-fish swim poorly, because they do not have a swim bladder. To turn, they are forced to spit out a powerful jet of water from their mouths; the moon can make small turns with the help of fins; they don't have a tail.

And moon-fish can also “talk”: make strange sounds with their teeth. The fish's mouth ends in a beak.

The meat of the moon-fish cannot be eaten: although it is not poisonous, it tastes unpleasant. Despite their outlandish appearance, moonfish are rarely kept in aquariums: they sometimes break when they hit glass.

6 Huge Tiger Shark

Tiger sharks are often referred to as leopard sharks because their exquisite coloring is reminiscent of both big cats. These dangerous predators live in tropical or subtropical waters; especially a lot of them in the Pacific Ocean.

Interestingly, these fish are viviparous, sometimes they bring eighty small sharks at once.

Reaching five and a half meters in length, tiger sharks are dangerous even for humans, although the basis of their diet is fish, sea snakes, cephalopods, turtles - yes, everything that gets into the sea!

These predators have a huge mouth, and each tooth is equipped with a serrated blade that can cut the tortoise shell. Females are larger than males and can reach a weight of one and a half tons with a length of more than five meters. There is evidence that there are tiger sharks 9 m in length, but they are not confirmed.

Dangerous predators often attack people. Fortunately, in most cases, the victims manage to survive. Especially a lot of attacks in Hawaii.

However, the sharks themselves suffer a lot from humans. Tiger sharks are caught for their meat, as well as skins and fins; sometimes they are kept in aquariums, but in captivity sharks do not live very long.

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5 Great White Shark Is A Huge Fish

This one of the largest sharks is often called the man-eating shark. It is found in all the oceans of the earth, except for the Arctic. The largest white shark caught was over 6 meters long and weighed about two tons. However, they assure that a shark more than seven meters long was caught off the coast of Australia.

Naturally, they are predators. Mostly white sharks eat marine mammals, but will not refuse other food. Unlike other sharks, whites usually hunt during the day.

The color of the shark is white only in the belly area, and its back and sides are gray. Three rows of serrated teeth make it easy to tear off a piece from any prey. Oddly enough, the bite force of this hunter is small and almost three times less than that of the Nile crocodile.

This predator is considered the most dangerous for people: in twenty years, almost 140 cases of fish attacks on humans have been recorded; 29 people died. However, people are not the favorite prey of sharks.

4 Freshwater Beluga

Beluga is the largest freshwater fish. It belongs to the sturgeon family and is listed in the Red Book. She lives in rivers and the Caspian, Black and Azov seas (depending on the season and life cycle).

Its length is usually more than 4 m, and its weight is about one and a half tons, although a beluga of nine meters in length and weighing 2 tons is described.

This fish is a predator; feeds on mollusks and small fish.

At the moment, there are not so many individuals of this species left. Of course, this is due to the fact that beluga often interbreed with closely related sturgeon (sterlet, etc.). But the main danger is man. Due to the most tender meat and delicious caviar, beluga often become the prey of poachers. A kilo of beluga caviar cost seven thousand euros on the black market ten years ago.

3 Manta rays are the largest of the rays

Manta rays are the largest of the rays. After all, the span of some of them can be 9 meters, as for the mass, then it is not small - 3 tons.

This creature is unique in that it is the only vertebrate that has three pairs of active limbs.

Mantas can be found in all warm oceans from temperate to tropical latitudes. These amazing fish swim, making peculiar flapping of their fins, as if with wings. Sometimes they jump out over the water and even twist somersaults. The reasons for such actions are unknown.

And again, a representative of the shark family appears in our rating. Otherwise they are called blue sharks. The recorded largest size of a female of this species is 9.8 m. But, according to unconfirmed reports, they can reach 15 m. The largest recorded weight is 4 tons

Despite their terrifying size, giant sharks are completely harmless to humans. It is not uncommon for divers to swim right next to it, and the only thing people should be afraid of is the sharp growths on the scales.

The giant shark feeds on plankton. She simply opens her mouth, and water passes through her, leaving up to 500 kg of food in her stomach.

1 Whale shark is the biggest fish

See photos of the largest fish in the world. This is a whale shark, the size of which can even reach twenty meters! Slow and peaceful, she feeds exclusively on plankton and does not pay any attention to people who can swim around her, touch and even ride on her back.

The largest fish in the world, the whale shark, is a very rare species, because for a long time they were commercial fish. And now they are hunted by poachers.

The whale shark has a peculiar flattened muzzle, and in a wide mouth there are up to fifteen thousand small one and a half centimeter teeth. Strangely, the liver of this fish is much smaller than that of other sharks (in a giant, for example, the liver is one-fifth of the total weight, which gives it buoyancy).

The whale shark prefers water with a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees and even cooler. Most of these fish are near Taiwan and off the eastern coast of Africa.