What types of freshwater fish are the largest in the world - list, characteristics and photos. The largest freshwater fish in the world The largest river

Carp is a common name for freshwater fish of the carp family. They are widespread in various water bodies around the world. They prefer calm, stagnant or slow-flowing waters with a hard clayey and slightly silted bottom. They can grow up to 1.2 meters in length and weigh over 100 kg. They feed on molluscs, crustaceans, worms and insect larvae. The largest carp caught by a British angler in 2013 weighed 45.59 kg.

The 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. The 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. Largest specimen caught recorded The International Association sport fishing (International Game Fish Association) weighed 41.95 kg with a length of 156 cm. The species is listed in the Red Book.

The common catfish is a large freshwater, scaleless bottom fish found in deep river reaches, 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 the pike, the catfish is an excellent orderly of reservoirs, it eats sick and weak fish. Cases of attacks on people are also described.

Nile perch is a large freshwater predatory fish that lives in the basins of the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger rivers, as well as in lakes Chad, Volta, Turkana and other bodies of water. Found in Lake Mariut in Egypt. They can 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 water bodies of residence. It feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and insects. Where food resources are limited, they can eat congeners.

Beluga is a species of fish from the sturgeon family. Inhabits the White, Caspian, Azov, Black, Adriatic seas, from where it enters 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 either.

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 North America... It inhabits the bottom of slow-moving rivers and bays along the western coast of North America. The 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 swimming 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. It feeds on fish and crustaceans. Its meat and caviar are highly prized in China.

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

Mississippi carapace

The Mississippi carapace or alligator pike is a large freshwater fish common in the valley of the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries in North and Central America. It is a very fast and strong, but shy fish. According to experts, Mississippi carapace can grow up to 3 m in length and weigh more than 130 kg. In 2011, the largest shellfish 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 shill catfish is the largest and most critically 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 herbivores - 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.

Some people to the question: "What is the largest fish?", Will answer: "Whale." But this is a delusion, because a whale is a mammal, not a fish. Of all living things on the planet, the whale is undoubtedly the largest.

But still, what is the most big fish in the world? It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally. Some data are highly variable and reported figures differ from unofficial ones. But if you focus on general statistics, then there is some consistency. Let's see which fish species are the largest by tracing the chain of 10 representatives in reverse order.

10. Catfish

This fish can reach 5 meters in length and 400 kg in weight. But due to poaching, it has become rare to find a catfish of this size. Their weight and size depend entirely on age. So, for example, an individual of four years old weighs 8 kg, a fish whose age has reached 8 years old - 16 kg, at 15 years old the weight of a catfish is from 40 to 60 kg, at 20 - up to 120 kg. Catfish live up to 30 years.

This article will describe the most 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 research has shown that belugas appeared about 190 million years ago and lived on Earth along with dinosaurs and crocodiles. Beluga can rightfully claim the title of "The world's largest freshwater fish". It is incredible, but the length of the largest of all caught individuals was as much as 7.4 meters, and the weight reached one and a half tons! For comparison: polar bear weighs about 850 kg.

This world's largest freshwater fish 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 and is considered the most valuable of all sturgeon. For this reason, huge fish become desirable prey for poachers. Their massive catch is prohibited by the state. Unfortunately in recent times the number of the species has decreased markedly. This is the largest freshwater fish in the world and is classified as critically endangered by the IWC.

Today beluga is artificially bred not only on the territory 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 it occurs at 12-14 years old, 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. Usually inhabits very deep waters with strong currents. Despite the fact that the beluga is an independent species, it can hybridize with stellate sturgeon, sterlet, thorn, sturgeon. As a result of this practice, viable hybrids were obtained, in particular, the beluga-sterlet (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 states that there are only a few thousand sexually mature individuals in nature. Industrial fishing has been banned on the territory of the Russian Federation since 1958. It is legalized in China.

White sturgeon

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

The largest specimen weighed about 800 kilograms and was over 6 meters long. Inhabits the fresh waters of the USA and Canada. Prefers large and medium-sized 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 about 30 years.

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

This species, along with tiger, white and is the leader in the number of attacks on humans. On this moment there are 26 deaths.

Giant Mekong Catfish and Common Catfish

These two types shared the 5th place. The rivers and lakes of Thailand are considered the home of the giant Mekong catfish. 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 treats.

It has a body length of up to 5 meters and 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 is 200 kg. It is a predator, feeds on fish and crustaceans. It bears its fry in the mouth. This helps them survive and increases the population.

Arapaima

Considered a river monster in the Amazon. It was first noticed by European scientists at the beginning of the 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 its main source of oxygen. This feature allows her to be a universal predator and hunt not only fish, but also other animals, including birds. The length of arapaima grows up to 3 meters, their weight is 150-190 kg.

Indian carp

Inhabits water bodies of India and Thailand. Prefers still, standing water. It grows on average up to 180 cm and weighs 150 kg. It 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

Inhabits the waters of the eastern United States. In length it grows 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, they began to breed it in the Crimea.

Common taimen

The largest and oldest fish from the salmon family. Distributed in the eastern part of Russia and Siberia. Loves cold and fast rivers. Taimen is a large representative of the salmon family, reaching 1.5-2.0 m in length and weighing more than 60 kg. It is a dangerous predator. It feeds on fish.

The largest freshwater fish in Russia

List largest species, which are found in freshwater reservoirs of our country, looks like this:

Beluga.
Kaluga.
Common catfish.
Taimen.
Carp.

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

The appearance of rumors about river monsters in a particular area causes two emotions. On the one hand, they begin to grow over time with even greater rumors, often exaggerated, catching up with fear of local residents. On the other hand, a person wakes up a hunting instinct, or rather a fishing instinct - if only to catch such a fish.

So which representatives of the water sea are in the top river fish and which of them is the record holder in size and weight?

Top 10 largest freshwater fish

It turns out that giant creatures are found not only in the ocean, they can be found everywhere in the rivers, lakes of our country, as well as in other parts of the planet. In particular, the top ten includes:

Beluga.
A giant freshwater stingray.
Alligator garfish.
White sturgeon.
Bull shark.
Paddlefish.
Nile perch.
Indian carp.
Siberian taimen.

In the first place in the top fish of the world - the absolute record holder in weight and size, and in the last place - the smallest of the largest inhabitants of the river water world

The fishermen did not even suspect ...

Siberian taimen is also called Siberian salmon, and this is the largest representative of this species. Its weight usually ranges from fifteen to thirty kilograms. But there was a case when in Russia a specimen weighing about 10 kilograms was caught from the Kotui River.

We are all familiar with such types of fish as carp and perch. But even many experienced fishermen will probably be surprised to find out to what size they can grow. In particular, the Indian carp, or as it is also called, patla, sometimes reaches 180-182 cm in length, so it is not in vain that it is included in the top of the longest fish. And, of course, for many fishermen it will be a discovery that the perch, which is rarely caught more than a kilogram, and such specimens are already considered trophy ones, can weigh about 180 kilograms and be 1.8 meters long. True, such fish are found only in the Nile, Congo and Sinegal.

But about the fact that catfish are huge, probably many have heard. These fish weighing 90-100 kg are considered "average", while the record holder is a specimen of 227 kg. Almost the same weight and paddlefish, which lives in the rivers of the United States - an exotic fish with a long nose.

It is included in the top of the heaviest fish and also the bull shark. Yes, don't be surprised, sharks can also be river sharks. This variety can reach three meters and weigh 312 kilograms. But even the white sturgeon overtook it in length, the length of the record representative of the sturgeon genus is four meters, and the weight is 485 kilograms! By the way, this fish lives up to a hundred years.

Also in the top of the giant freshwater fish is the garfish alligator. The length of an average specimen is up to three meters, weight is 140 kilograms, and record alligators can weigh up to five hundred kilograms. Even more in weight are freshwater giant stingrays, from five hundred to six hundred kilograms.

And in the first place in the top of the largest freshwater fish is the beluga. There is evidence that the largest representative of this species weighed ... 1580 meters! Its length was 7.5 meters. And this is just about the caught fish (however, it is difficult to imagine what exactly it was pulled - probably by a tanker). Belugas live up to 120 years.

Top largest freshwater fish updated: March 4, 2016 by the author: Anna Volosovets

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

There are real record holders among fish; we included them in our top 10 largest fish in the world. Of course, whales were not included in our top, because a whale is not a fish, but a mammal. When compiling the rating, we decided to take into account both the body length 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 for 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.

Meat is usually not 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. This is a valuable commercial fish; tales, proverbs and riddles are complex about catfish (for example, “There are no two catfish in one pool”).

It is a fat brown fish (it can also be black, light yellow and even albino) with a wonderful mustache; the catfish has no scales.

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

There are known cases of catfish attacks on humans.

8 Blue Atlantic marlin

As their name suggests, these beauties live in warm waters. 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 weighed 818 kg.

Marlin meat is considered valuable because it is quite fatty, especially appreciated by fans of Japanese cuisine. Therefore, too many Marlins are caught for the preparation of delicious dishes, and nowadays, marlins are under threat of extinction.

The blue marlin has a body of blue or light blue with silvery sides, on the head there is a kind of "spear", very long and strong (its length is up to 20% of the body). Despite the frightening appearance, marlins are not very aggressive, however, few people have a desire to get involved with this fish. The only enemies of marlin are large sharks. He himself hunts for mollusks, squid, as well as mackerel.

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

7 Moonfish

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

Moon-fish swim badly 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 have no tail.

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

You cannot eat the meat of the moon-fish: although it is not poisonous, it tastes unpleasant. Despite the outlandish appearance, moonfish are rarely kept in aquariums: they sometimes break, hitting the glass.

6 Huge Tiger Shark

Tiger sharks are often called leopard sharks: their exquisite coloration resembles both large cats. These dangerous predators live in tropical or subtropical waters; there are especially many of them in the Pacific Ocean.

It is interesting that these fish are viviparous, sometimes they bring eighty little sharks at once.

Tiger sharks reaching five and a half meters in length are dangerous even for humans, although fish form the basis of their diet, sea \u200b\u200bsnakes, cephalopods, turtles - everything that falls into the sea!

These predators have huge mouths, and each tooth is equipped with a serrated blade that can cut through the shell of a turtle. 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 tiger sharks are 9 m long, but they have not been confirmed.

Dangerous predators often attack people. Fortunately, in most cases, the victims manage to survive. There are especially many attacks in Hawaii.

However, the sharks themselves suffer a lot from humans. Tiger sharks are caught for their meat, skin and fins; sometimes they are kept in aquariums, but in captivity sharks live very shortly.

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5 White shark is a huge fish

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

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

The shark is white only in the area of \u200b\u200bthe belly, and its back and sides are gray. Three rows of serrated teeth make it easy to tear off 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 humans: 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 the 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 is described that is nine meters long and weighs 2 tons.

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

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

3 Manty are the largest of the stingrays

Manty are the largest of the stingrays. 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 fins, as if by wings. Sometimes they jump over the water and even twist somersaults. The reasons for this are unknown.

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

Despite their frightening size, giant sharks are not at all dangerous 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.

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

1 Whale shark is the largest fish

See the photo itself big 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 pays no 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 very rare view, because for a long time they were a commercial fish. And now they are hunted by poachers.

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

The whale shark prefers water with temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees and even cooler. Most of these fish are near Taiwan and the Eastern shores of Africa.