Nearly nine feet long (2.7 meters) and as big as a grizzly bear, the behemoth tipped the scales at 646 pounds (293 kilograms).
Experts say the fish, which belongs to the species known as the Mekong giant catfish, may be the largest freshwater fish ever recorded.
What was the largest fish ever caught?
The Biggest Fish Ever Caught
- No. 8: 1,298-Pound Sixgill Shark.
- No. 7: 1,376-Pound Pacific Blue Marlin.
- No. 6: 1,402-Pound Atlantic Blue Marlin.
- No. 5: 1,496-Pound Bluefin Tuna.
- No. 4: 1,560-Pound Black Marlin.
- No. 3: 1,708-Pound Greenland Shark.
- No. 2: 1,785-Pound Tiger Shark.
- No. 1: 2,664-Pound White Shark.
What is the largest catfish ever caught in the United States?
The blue catfish caught by Mullenix weighed in at 121.5 Lbs, which was not only a Texas state record but also a world record.
What is the biggest blue catfish ever caught?
The record catfish weighed in at 130 lb. It was 57 in long and 45 in around. The previous angling world record, 124 lb, was caught by Tim Pruitt on May 22, 2005, in the Mississippi River. This record broke the previous blue catfish record of 121.5 lb caught from Lake Texoma, Texas.
How big can catfish get?
Mythology and literature record wels catfish of astounding proportions, yet to be proven scientifically. The average size of the species is about 1.2–1.6 m (3.9–5.2 ft), and fish more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) are rare. However, they are known to exceed 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length and 100 kilograms (220 lb) in weight.
Can a catfish kill you?
Most catfish use their venom for defense. Some in North America can inflict a sting that humans notice. Elsewhere in the world, a few catfish species can even kill humans. The new count of venomous catfish — which may be more than 1,600, the scientists estimate — is much higher than thought.
Has a catfish ever killed a human?
The Kali River goonch attacks were a series of fatal attacks on humans believed to be perpetrated by man-eating goonch catfish in three villages on the banks of the Kali River in India and Nepal, between 1998 and 2007.
How old do catfish live?
Wels catfish: 60 years
How long do Mekong giant catfish live?
The Mekong giant catfish once held the Guinness World Records’ position for the world’s largest freshwater fish in 2005. Attaining an unconfirmed length of 3 m (9.8 ft), the Mekong giant catfish grows extremely quickly, reaching a mass of 150 to 200 kg (330 to 440 lb) in six years.
What is the biggest flathead catfish ever caught?
The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14, 1998, from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas, and weighed 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg), however a record from 1982 shows that the flathead catfish would be North Americas longest species of catfish, after a specimen pulled from the Arkansas river that measured 175 cm (69
Is a bullhead a catfish?
The black bullhead or black bullhead catfish (Ameiurus melas) is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also has barbels located near its mouth, a broad head, spiny fins and no scales.
What is the scientific name for catfish?
Siluriformes
How big can a largemouth bass get?
In comparison to age, a female bass is larger than a male. The largemouth is the largest of the black basses, reaching a maximum recorded overall length of 29.5 in (75 cm) and a maximum unofficial weight of 25 pounds 1 ounce (11.4 kg). The fish lives 10 to 16 years on average.
Can you eat Wels catfish?
The wels catfish lives in large, warm lakes and deep, slow-flowing rivers. It prefers to remain in sheltered locations such as holes in the riverbed, sunken trees, etc. It consumes its food in the open water or in the deep, where it can be recognized by its large mouth. Wels catfish are kept in fish ponds as food fish.
What is the record channel catfish?
The world record channel catfish weighed 58 pounds, and was taken from the Santee-Cooper Reservoir in South Carolina, on July 7, 1964. Realistically, a channel catfish over 20 lb (9 kg) is a spectacular specimen, and most catfish anglers view a 10-lb (4.5-kg) fish as a very admirable catch.
Do bluegill kill humans?
Bluegill have a rather bold character; many have no fear of humans, eating food dropped into the water, and a population in Canada’s Lake Scugog will even allow themselves to be stroked by human observers. Because of their size and the method of cooking them, bluegills are often called panfish.
Can piranhas kill humans?
Most piranha attacks on humans only result in minor injuries, typically to the feet or hands, but they are occasionally more serious and very rarely can be fatal.
Do lampreys attack humans?
A study of the stomach content of some lampreys has shown the remains of intestines, fins and vertebrae from their prey. Although attacks on humans do occur, they will generally not attack humans unless starved.
Where does the Goonch catfish live?
Bagarius yarrelli, known as the giant devil catfish or goonch, is a very large species of catfish in the genus Bagarius found in rivers in South Asia. It is possibly also found in Southeast Asia, but this may involve a separate species.
What eats catfish in the ocean?
Its diet primarily consists of algae, seagrasses, cnidarians, sea cucumbers, gastropods, polychaetes, shrimp, and crabs. Younger hardhead catfish tend to eat small crustaceans, like amphipods, shrimp, blue crabs, mollusks, and annelids.
Is Catfish a bottom feeder fish?
A bottom feeder is an aquatic animal that feeds on or near the bottom of a body of water. Examples of bottom feeding fish species groups are flatfish (halibut, flounder, plaice, sole), eels, cod, haddock, bass, grouper, carp, bream (snapper) and some species of catfish and shark.
Why are they called catfish?
According to Vince Pierce, the husband of Angela Pierce—the subject of the Catfish documentary—the term catfish comes from fishermen “putting sea catfish in with the cod to nip at their tails and keep them active” during overseas transport in order to produce more lively and fresh meat.
Are Catfish part of the shark family?
Shark catfish. The shark catfishes form the family Pangasiidae. They are found in fresh and brackish waters across southern Asia, from Pakistan to Borneo. Among the 30-odd members of this family is the plant-eating, endangered Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas, one of the largest known freshwater fish.
Where does the River Mekong start and end?
Mekong River Delta
What does Mekong mean?
The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world’s twelfth longest river and the seventh longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km (2,703 mi), and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually.
In which country does the Mekong start?
It flows through many countries: China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and finally Vietnam. The Mekong begins in the Lasagongma Spring which is in the plateaus of Tibet, disputed part of China, and flows about 2,703 miles (4,350 km) south-east to the South China Sea.
Where is the mouth of the Mekong?
Mekong River Delta
Do catfish have brains?
However, some fish have relatively large brains, most notably mormyrids and sharks, which have brains about as massive relative to body weight as birds and marsupials. There is also an analogous brain structure in cephalopods with well-developed brains, such as octopuses.
What is the average size of a channel catfish?
14 kg
Adult
What class do catfish belong to?
Ray-finned fishes
Photo in the article by “Flickr” https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/20222007298/