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 is the biggest catfish ever caught in the Mississippi River?
On May 21st, 2005 Tim Pruitt caught a 124 pound record breaking the previous 121.5 lb record caught in Texas. Fishing on the Mississippi River near Alton, Illionois Tim Pruitt landed the massive 124-pound cat after a battle lasting nearly 40 minutes a 58 inch long, 44 inch girth blue surfaced.
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.
How large can a 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.
How big can a Wels catfish get?
Wels Catfish is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish species, with individuals often reaching lengths of up to 300 cm (3 metres), and weights of up to 150 kg (although typically, Wels Catfish range in size from 1.3–1.6 m long, and weigh 15–20 kg (33–44 lb).
Can a catfish kill a human?
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.
What’s the largest channel catfish ever caught?
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.
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 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 shark ever recorded in history?
Divers near the Hawaiian island of Oahu made a rare discovery over the weekend, capturing close-up photographs of what’s believed to be the largest great white shark ever recorded in history. The predator — nicknamed “Deep Blue” and estimated to be 50-years-old — weighs in at 2.5 tons.
How big can a blue catfish get?
The blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is the largest species of North American catfish, reaching a length of 165 cm (65 in) and a weight of 68 kg (150 lb). The typical length is about 25–46 in (64–117 cm). The fish can live to 20 years.
How many years does a catfish live?
Wels catfish: 60 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
Do Wels catfish have teeth?
The wels catfish’s mouth contains lines of numerous small teeth, two long barbels on the upper jaw and four shorter barbels on the lower jaw. It has a long anal fin that extends to the caudal fin, and a small sharp dorsal fin relatively far forward. Wels swim in a fashion similar to eels, and so can swim backwards.
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.
How long do Wels catfish live?
60 years
In captivity
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.
How far up the Mississippi River have sharks been found?
They have been known to travel up the Mississippi River as far as Alton, Illinois, about 700 miles (1100 km) from the ocean. However, few freshwater human-shark interactions have been recorded.
Are eels edible?
A majority of eel species are nocturnal and thus are rarely seen. Sometimes, they are seen living together in holes, or “eel pits”. Eel blood is poisonous to humans and other mammals, but both cooking and the digestive process destroy the toxic protein.
Are lampreys tetrapods?
Most jawless fish are now extinct; but the extant lampreys may approximate ancient pre-jawed fish. This has led to the Devonian being known as the age of fishes. It was from the lobe-finned fish that the tetrapods evolved, the four-limbed vertebrates, represented today by amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds.
Do catfish live in the sea?
Hardhead catfish are found mostly in the near-shore waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean, around the southeast coast of the United States, around the Florida Keys and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. These barbels help the catfish find crabs, fish, and shrimp in the muddy bays where they live.
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
Which shark has killed the most humans?
Out of more than 489 shark species, only three are responsible for a double-digit number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger, and bull. The oceanic whitetip has probably killed many more castaways, but these are not recorded in the statistics.
Is there really a Megalodon shark?
Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon), meaning “big tooth”, is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the end of the Pliocene.
Do any aquariums have great white sharks?
At the same time, transportation techniques have improved and long distance movement of sharks is becoming easier. Several attempts to keep a Great White Shark in captivity have been attempted, but most specimens died or had to be released after a short time.
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
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.
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.
What type of fish is a carp?
Carp is a common name for various species of freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. They have been introduced to various locations around the world, though with mixed results.
What’s another name for catfish?
Numerous species from the families Ariidae and Plotosidae, and a few species from among the Aspredinidae and Bagridae, are found in salt water. In the Southern United States, catfish species may be known by a variety of slang names, such as “mud cat”, “polliwogs”, or “chuckleheads”.
Photo in the article by “Wikipedia” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaluga_(fish)