Thousands of fish species live in the seas and oceans, as well as in freshwater rivers and ponds. Some of them reach gigantic proportions and can be dangerous to humans, and some inhabitants of the reservoirs themselves are the objects of fishing.
Consider the largest representatives of the deep sea and imagine the 10 largest fish in the world, both marine and freshwater, and most importantly, find out what is the largest fish in the world.
Rotan
The river resident, having spread from the Far East along all the rivers of Eurasia, eventually moved to aquariums. Today, rotan is one of the largest aquarium fish.
This is an active predator that eats fry of other fish, newts, does not disdain carrion. They also have cannibalism.
Under natural conditions, it bites well at an earthworm, and it can also serve as a bait for catching larger freshwater predators.
Guasa
This large marine fish, growing up to 2 and a half meters, is also called a giant grouper. The largest fish caught in the Serranidae family weighed 363 kilograms.
You can meet them at the islands of the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Brazil and in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. In the twentieth century, the Guases were actively hunted because of the delicious meat, which put them on the brink of extinction.
Now fishing for these marine fish is prohibited, and the population has quickly recovered.
Psefur
Chinese paddlefish - this is also called this river resident living in the muddy waters of the Chinese Yangtze. It is one of the largest freshwater fish on the planet.
Its dimensions are truly impressive, because adults reach 3 meters in length, and weigh more than 300 kilograms with such dimensions.
Psephura feed on small fish and crustaceans, and in search of food they are helped by receptors located on a long outgrowth of the upper jaw.
It is because of this feature of their structure that they received such a unique and unusual name.
Beluga
This valuable breed of fish of the sturgeon family is on the verge of complete extinction, and its capture is strictly limited. Today it is the largest freshwater fish in the world, since the caught specimens reached a weight of one and a half tons.
Adults can reach sizes up to 4.3 meters. Beluga dwell in the seas of the European part of Russia, and they enter rivers to lay eggs.
The largest fish of this breed, as eyewitnesses testify, could reach 9 meters. But documented science does not confirm this data.
Giant freshwater stingray
Like its sea relatives, freshwater slopes sometimes reach gigantic proportions, and in history there have been specimens up to 4.7 meters long and more than 2 meters wide.
They are found in the warm waters of the southern seas and in the freshwater rivers of the islands of Oceania. For protection and hunting, ramps have two sharp spikes located in the tail.
Catching it is quite difficult, because they are fast enough, and when caught, they swing their tail strongly, trying to defend themselves.
Common catfish
An active river predator can grow over 5 meters and weigh about 500 kilograms with such dimensions. Mostly hunt at night, eating small fish, shellfish, all kinds of crustaceans.
Cases were recorded when catfish attacked small animals and waterfowl. There are many stories related to the fact that catfish attacked a person.
But for the most part, an attack on people is just a legend, although it is likely that adults are able to cope with a person and pull him to the bottom.
Blue marlin
The inhabitant of the Atlantic blue marlin is the largest representative of the percussion order. Adults grow up to 5 meters, and for the first time this species was described in 1802.
It is noteworthy that almost 20% of the length of this amazing fish is a spear, and the dorsal fin is very original in shape and consists of 5-7 rays.
Marlins all over the world are considered a favorite trophy of sport fishing, because catching it is a great success for any angler.
Herring king
Because of its size and the original structure of the body, the herring king is also called a fish-belt. It lives at great depths in the Atlantic, Pacific and some parts of the Indian Ocean.
The body thickness does not exceed 5-6 centimeters, but the length of the herring king reaches more than 5 meters. The largest instance of an amazing inhabitant of the ocean depths reached a length of 11 meters.
But they called it that because the dorsal fins located closer to the head form a unique crown.
Great White Shark
It is difficult to imagine the gigantic dimensions of this predator in the photo, but in real life it is better to avoid meeting with a white shark. This is the most dangerous and, in addition, the largest marine predator, growing up to 6 meters in length.
This species of sharks is found in all oceans, eating fish, and is a great danger to humans. White sharks are often seen in coastal waters, where there is a high probability of attacking humans.
But the most dangerous predator on the globe also needs to be taken under protection, because the white shark is on the verge of extinction, and now there are no more than 3,500 individuals in the oceans.
Whale shark
Of all the inhabitants of the ocean depths, the whale shark is the largest fish in the world. Their recorded length reaches 10 meters, although individuals of 12 meters and more met.
Despite their terrifying size and formidable appearance, these predators do not pose an immediate threat to humans. It is noteworthy that this species of sharks almost can not live in captivity, and dies in oceanariums for several months.
These marine giants feed mainly on plankton, and scientists do not exclude the possibility that more and more specimens are found on the planet with weight and size.
All the same, an amazing underwater world, and its diversity cannot but be admired. Today, many aquariums in the world can acquaint with the largest representatives of the seas and oceans. But also cannot convey the impressions and emotions when, when fishing, a rather large specimen comes to the hook.
Article author: Valery Skiba