The catfish is a freshwater fish that eats carrion and freshwater animals and is hunted in many countries. Many of us have heard frightening stories about large predatory catfish that guard their prey in water bodies and, at any opportunity, try to drag it to their lair. Especially if we are talking O . Think it's unrealistic? No matter how!
Today Dekatop will provide you with irrefutable 10 facts about the largest catfish in the world, after which you will also join the ranks of those who are surprised and delighted with how amazing and refined Mother Nature is in her fantasies.
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The largest catfish in the world, officially registered in the Guinness Book of Records, was caught in Thailand in 2005.
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The weight of the giant was 293 kilograms, and the length of the predator stretched as much as 2.7 meters.
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Caught a catfish during a "hunt" started on the Mekong River. Large catfish were caught here before, but after the reservoir began to pollute, the dimensions of local predators decreased slightly.
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The caught monster was first thought to be placed under the vigilant supervision of the environmental service, but the fish did not survive the resulting "stress" and died.
The size of the catfish was officially registered by the Thai authorities. At the same time, Zeb Hogan himself, the head of the WWF project, was present at the Last Supper.
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The Thai catfish is not the largest caught in the wild, but the most "confirmed". According to unofficial data, a larger fish was caught in 1830 in Germany on the Oder River. The weight of the catfish, according to witnesses, ranged from 400 to 450 kg.
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The Mekong catfish is the largest freshwater fish on the verge of extinction due to the pollution of the Thai Mekong River.
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Many researchers believe that catfish do not attack people, only drowned people are swallowed whole. But the fact that predators bite painfully and can even cause dangerous injuries to young children is a fact subject to witnesses of encounters with such catfish.
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Catfish from the Mekong did not eat people, at least his stomach was pristine. But the Turkish catfish, caught in 1970, was convicted of eating a person: a woman’s corpse was found inside the fish.
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The largest catfish living in captivity is a guest of the Dutch park "Centerparcs" nicknamed "Big Mom". Its length is 2.3 meters, and the fish feeds on birds - it swallows three pieces a day. Here is the appetite of the female!
The largest representative of freshwater depths is the catfish. He is rightly called the master of the river. The life of a giant is shrouded in secrets, legends and chilling tragedies. The size of the fish is impressive, appetites are frightening, and longevity is envious. Find out where and when the largest catfish in the world was caught, as well as some features of habits and habitats.
Record holder from the Guinness Book
In 2005, an incredible specimen of a catfish 2.7 m long and weighing 293 kg was caught in Thailand from the depths of the Mekong River. It became even more amazing fact that in the river for a long time no large fish were caught. The Mekong is heavily polluted and large specimens are not caught.
The Thai authorities were invited to register the record. The predator is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most big catfish.
Now the giant is considered an officially registered record. The Thai predator is not the largest caught in the world, but the most documented.
locals were shocked by the dimensions of the captured "master of the river." It was decided to give it to the environmental service for observation. But the poor man did not survive the stress and died. It takes the official first place among the famous giant catfish.
10. Belarusian giants
If we rank the largest catfish in the world, then the tenth place will be taken by the catfish from Belarus. One day in 2011, a local entrepreneur and fishing lover went to the Pripyat River with his friends. They threw tackle in the middle of the river, and then it began to peck. Trying to pull out the tackle, the fisherman realized that nothing was working. The men realized - they caught a catfish, and the "fight with the fish" began.
Catfish is a smart animal, and it takes skill to pull it out. V otherwise you will easily be in the water. The inhabitant of the pools is strong and irritable, and can turn the boat over. Rybina dragged the boat along the river for an hour. The fishermen did not let go of gear, the catfish became exhausted, and began to blow bubbles. As a result, the giant was pulled ashore.
Measurements showed that the length of the catfish is 205 cm, and the weight is 59 kg. The fish was put into cutlets, some was distributed to friends and neighbors. But the largest catfish specimen caught in Belarus weighed 68 kg and was 2.3 m long.
09. Spanish albino
In ninth place is an amazing example of the fish kingdom: albino catfish. In 2009, while vacationing in Spain, Briton Chris from Sheffield went to the Ebro River to try his luck at fishing. These places are known throughout Europe as the habitat of giant catfish. Fishing enthusiasts catch up to 10 fish per day here. Comes in here and sea fish. So the catches are varied and will fully satisfy gambling anglers.
Chris and his comrades threw gear and caught a giant with a height exceeding 2 m and weighing 88 kg. For half an hour a group of men dragged the fish to the shore. As a result, friends arranged a photo shoot with the catfish and let them go home.
08. Dutch inhabitant of the city pond
In eighth place in the ranking of the largest catfish is a catfish from Holland. In the park of culture and recreation Center parcs there is a pond, famous for the fact that a giant catfish, one of the largest representatives of the family, lives in the depths. The length reached 2.3 m. The animal was nicknamed "Big Mom" and is kept under the patronage of the state. The "mommy" feeds on ducks, nesting here in abundance. They say that the animal eats at least three birds daily.
Dutch catfish "Big Mom" Local ducks, realizing what kind of monster awaits on the lake, gradually moved to other water bodies, since there are enough of them in Holland. But the giant "mommy" does not have to starve. Every day there are a couple of ducks flying in transit and sitting down to rest on the dwelling of the "duck-eater". Naive, unsuspecting mallards end up eating an underwater monster. Also, the predator does not disdain small dogs that take cold baths in the gloomy abode of the giant catfish in the heat. The pond was chosen by Dutch divers. The instructors say that the owner of the pond has never tried to attack a person.
Biologists observing the life of a pet claim that the catfish managed to grow to such a size thanks to clean water, abundance of food and peaceful environment. Although some brave fishermen, under the cover of night, try to climb over the pond fence and catch this trophy that is tempting for the fisherman. But the guards are on guard. Here they vigilantly monitor the peace of the "owner" of the depths of the city park.
07. Italian trophy
The seventh place was taken by the catfish caught in 2011 in Italy. Robert Godi, the lucky winner of a huge catfish, admitted that for the first time in his life he encountered such a specimen from the fish kingdom. Catfish weighed 114 kg, height was 2.5 m. According to the story of the fisherman, he and his friends fiddled for exactly an hour to pull the giant to the ground.
Catfish caught by Italian Robert Godi On this day, the men went to catch bream, but they caught an amazing catfish. Apparently, the bream became the bait for him. No one thought that fishing would end with the capture of such a hulk. The fish was measured, weighed and released into the wild.
06. French record holder
Yuri Grizendi, a tourist and fisherman, has made catching large fish his hobby. One day while doing fishing on the Rhone River in France, he caught a truly king of the catfish kingdom, 2.6 m long and weighing 120 kg.
A lover of big fish does not send the catch for cutlets or cooking balyks, but shoots it on video and immediately releases it back into the water. This fish ranks sixth in the ranking.
05. Kazakh giant
In 2007, local fishermen caught a giant inhabitant of pools in the Ili River, 2.7 m tall and weighing 130 kg. Fifth place - for this instance.
In Kazakhstan, the catfish lives in the Ural-Caspian basin. Until recently, the Aral Sea was famous for large specimens of this family.
Occurs in the basin of the Syrdarya, Kengir, Sarysu rivers. Does not disdain brackish water, but loves fresh water more. The animal feels comfortable in Bailykol and Akkol lakes. Catfish came to Lake Balkhash from the Syr Darya.
In the diet of catfish - rudd, sabrefish, bream. The fish eats even its own young. With pleasure it feeds on mollusks, crustaceans, frogs. This applies to young fish. With age, the predator includes on the menu muskrats, water snakes, voles and lizards that fall into the water.
04. Russian "master of the river"
On the fourth place - the representative of Russia. In 2009 in Kursk region, a real monster was caught in the Seim River - a catfish 3 m long. The weight of the giant was 200 kg!
Men, swimming in the depths of the river with a harpoon, accidentally noticed a huge fish. One hunter fired and hit the trophy. For a couple of hours, friends tried to pull the hulk ashore, but they failed.
A rural tractor was brought to work. With his help, a huge body of fish was dragged to the shore. The locals gasped. They often met large catfish in these places, but they saw such a giant for the first time.
The employees of the Kursk fishery supervision became witnesses of the royal catch, and they recorded the record.
03. Record holder from Poland
The third line of the list of catfish giants was taken by a representative caught from the Oder in Poland. Scientists determined the age, he turned out to be a centenary old man. The length of the handsome river man exceeded 4 m, and the weight was 200 kg.
It was surprising that the corpse of a Nazi officer was found in the stomach of a predator. The fishermen immediately alerted the police. The pathologist issued a conclusion that the catfish swallowed the man when he was already dead.
02. Another Russian giant
The second place is given to the Russian catfish, according to some sources, caught at the end of the 19th century. The weight of the king of catfish was 347 kg, and the length exceeded 4 m. The fish was caught in Lake Issyk-Kul. In honor of such an incredible catch, an arch in the form of giant catfish jaws was installed at this place.
Where does catfish live and its habits
Catfish is a big homebody. Once having taken a fancy to a pool or a pit, a hermit is able to live there for decades. Only extraordinary circumstances will force you to move to another place. The predator leads a solitary lifestyle. Sometimes their accumulation is observed in wintering pits.
Catfish actively move at night and in the morning or evening dawn. Under the cover of night, they swim to small places off the coast and hunt there. This fish does not like muddy water and therefore rises closer to the surface during rain. This property is used by fishermen.
The very structure of catfish is adapted to bottom life. The head is huge, flattened, a giant mouth covered with sharp teeth. The upper jaw is equipped with two long mustaches, and the lower jaw with two small ones.
According to legend, catfish is not even a fish. “The water one rides on it, and the catfish delivers drowned people to him,” they say among the people. They called the animal "damn horse." There are a lot of horror stories and horror stories about catfish among the fishermen.
The predator drowns and eats goslings, ducklings and larger birds. They say that they saw how a catfish, waving its tail, knocked down a nest with chicks from a tree and even a gaping crow. There are eyewitnesses of events when river monsters drowned dogs, calves and even attacked people. In Siberia, they tell a legend about a catfish that drowned and ate a bear. On July 16, 1982, in front of the eyes of a forester and an employee of a biological station in the Khopersky Reserve, a catfish knocked down a deer with its tail and dragged it to the bottom.
Fish farmers believe that if a catfish once tasted human meat, then it will not have enough of its own diet, and the predator will begin to hunt people. So it’s better not to swim in the shallows, where large specimens of this dangerous animal were found.
Catfish are rightfully considered one of the largest river representatives among fish. Under favorable conditions of existence, these fish are able to live up to several hundred flax, reach a size of 4-5 meters and gain weight up to 100-500 kg. The largest representative was caught in Uzbekistan 100 years ago, its weight was 430 kg, and its length was as much as 5 m. But there is no official confirmation of this. There is also unconfirmed evidence that the largest catfish weighing 288 kg and 4 m tall was caught in the Dnieper in Ukraine. big fish This species is capable of swallowing an adult human at once. Such cases have already happened and were officially recorded. There is an opinion that among these river dwellers there are cannibals. But this version has not yet been confirmed. The discovered corpses in the belly of the giants, according to experts, were already dead when they fell into the womb of the river creature. V Lately the catfish population is shrinking due to environmental conditions and human fishing. But even today there are quite old and large specimens. To prove this, we have compiled a rating - the largest catfish in the world.
10 Som from Belarus
Length 2 m
The ten largest river representatives are opened by catfish from Belarus. One of the largest catfish was caught in Belarus in 2011. The owner of a large catch was a local fishing enthusiast. Together with his comrades, the fisherman caught prey with tackle. When the men tried to collect the catch, the tackle did not want to be pulled out. It took the fishermen about an hour to pull a large river monster ashore. They decided to immediately measure and weigh the giant. Rybina pulled 60 kg, and its length was 2 m. The fishermen did not let the catfish go and made a real fish feast.
9 Catfish from Spain
Length 2 m
Ninth place goes to the largest catfish from Spain. In 2009, local fishermen caught an albino catfish in the small river Ebro. The body length of the river albino exceeded 2 m, and the weight was 88 kg. British Chris from Sheffield managed to catch a rare fish. Trying to pull out the catch, the fisherman realized that he could not cope and called for help from friends who had come with him. It took the man more than half an hour to pull the albino ashore. With a live catch, they arranged a photo session and released.
8 catfish from Holland
Length 2.3 m
The eighth line goes to the largest Dutch catfish. In Holland, the Centerparcs amusement park is very popular, as one of the largest catfish in the world lives in a reservoir on its territory. The body of the fish is 2.3 m long. The river creature has received the nickname "Big Mom". According to the park guards, she loves to eat ducks, and eats at least 3 swimming birds daily. Som is under state protection.
7 catfish from Italy
Length 2.5 m
In seventh place is the largest catfish caught in Italy. In early 2011, one of the largest catfish in the world was caught by Italian Robert Godi. The length of the fish was 2.5 m, and the weight was 114 kg. An experienced fisherman admitted that he had encountered such a giant fish for the first time in his life. To pull the prey ashore, Robert needed the help of six people who got the catfish for about an hour. Robert says that on this day, together with other fishermen, he went out to catch bream. No one imagined that the hunt would end with the capture of a living colossus. The fish was weighed, measured and released to continue swimming.
6 Catfish from France
Length 2.6 m
The sixth line is occupied by the largest catfish from France. One of the largest catfish in the world was caught by tourist Yuri Grizendi in the Rhone River. The weight of the giant was 120 kg, and the body length was 2.6 m. big fish is a man's hobby. Each time he tries to beat his previous record. Caught large fish tourist takes video and releases.
5 Som from Kazakhstan
Length 2.7 m
The fifth line is occupied by a river representative from Kazakhstan. In 2007, on the Ili River, local fishermen caught the largest catfish weighing 130 kg and 2.7 m long. This is the largest fish that the locals have ever seen.
4 catfish from Thailand
Length 2.7 m
The fourth line goes to the largest catfish from Thailand. In May 2005, one of the largest catfish with a weight of 293 kg was caught on the Mekong River. Its length was about 2.7 m. These parameters were recorded by the head of the international research project WWF by Zeb Hogan. This year he was researching the largest fish in the world. Caught albino catfish became the largest freshwater fish noted in his work. This giant was able to get into the Guinness Book of Records. They were going to put him under the supervision of the environmental service and release him, but, unfortunately, the catfish died.
3 Som from Russia
Length 3 m
The honorary three is opened by the largest catfish caught in Russia several years ago. In 2009, fishermen caught one of the largest catfish from the Seim River in the Kursk region. The weight of the extracted colossus exceeded 200 kg, and the length of the fish was about 3 m. Witnesses to this were employees of the Kursk fishery, who confirmed the fact of the caught catfish. Quite by accident, the fishermen were lucky enough to find a monster. One of the men managed to shoot and harpoon the giant. Several men tried to pull out a huge fish with their own strength. But soon the hunters realized that they could not cope and decided to come to the aid of a rural tractor. When the fish beast was pulled ashore, everyone gasped in surprise: many had seen huge catfish here, but the villagers saw such a huge thing for the first time.
2 Som from Poland
Length 4 m
The second line is occupied by the largest catfish in Poland. One of the largest catfish in the world was caught by Polish fishermen on the Oder River. The age of the giant was more than 100 years. The size of the river creature slightly exceeded 4 m, and the body weight was 200 kg. What was the surprise of the fishermen when they found the corpse of a Nazi officer in the belly of a catfish. The men hurried to report this fact to the police. The experts who arrived at the find site conducted a study and concluded that the fish swallowed the officer when he was already dead. And again, the rumors about the cannibalism of these river monsters were not confirmed.
1 Som from Russia
Length 4 m
The first place goes to the largest catfish from Russia. According to some reports, this giant was caught at the end of the 19th century. Its length exceeded 4 m, and it weighed about 347 kg. Such a find was caught in Lake Issyk-Kul. There is an opinion that in honor of the capture of a huge fish, an arch in the form of giant catfish jaws was erected in this place.
Catfish, due to its prevalence and large size, is a coveted object of catch for many anglers. Catfish weighing up to fifty kilograms are considered normal. But large specimens can no longer be lifted by one person - their mass is calculated in centners, and some representatives of this species of fish can reach three meters in length. Quite a few cases of catching catfish of extraordinary size are known, but fishermen are in no hurry, usually
to somehow fix such a fact, therefore it is simply not possible to reliably determine which largest catfish was caught and where. I must say that the freshwater catfish in the world is very large - it loves temperate and warm latitudes, but it does not occur at all in the northern regions.
Officially, the Guinness record holder is a Thai inhabitant. The mass of the giant was 292 kilograms. Since the catch was recorded in the presence of witnesses, this one is the largest catfish in the world. It is also curious that almost ten years have passed since the capture of the giant, and no one has yet overcome this record.
Ichthyologists assure that giant catfish are not such a remarkable phenomenon, it's all about the purity of the water and abundant food. By the way, catfish are predators. The main diet - crayfish, leeches, does not shun carrion. Giants prefer ducks and other birds, do not disdain squirrels and any gaping small animal.
But, according to historical sources, modern catfish are small compared to their predecessors. For example, in the German Oder at the beginning of the nineteenth century, a catfish weighing from 400 to 450 kilograms was caught! This is to the fact that the modern largest
catfish of Europe weighed only 150 kilograms. The lucky owner of the catch was the Italian Armando Frisero.
Native spaces are also famous for their giants. The largest catfish in Russia was caught in the nineteenth century. Its weight was 347 kilograms with a length of four and a half meters! Currently, there are no recorded cases of catching huge Russian catfish, alas. And the point is not that the fish has been transferred - on the Volga, for example, two-meter-long catfish are the most common occurrence. Most likely, the whole point is that the certification of the catch is a rather troublesome business, and the fishermen do not consider it necessary to waste time on such trifles. Or maybe just modesty gets in the way. One way or another, but the record holder of the Russian scale currently does not officially exist.
In addition to gigantic sizes, catfish can also have an unusual color. For example, albino catfish are found in the British river Ebro. The largest catfish with a lack of melanin was caught by Chris Grimmer.
The weight of the albino was 88 kilograms.
Presumably, the largest catfish is an inhabitant of the Dutch lake in the Centerparcs recreation park. The giant, up to three meters long, is a local landmark and bears the name Big Mommy. By the way, this lady has a good appetite, because every day, in addition to her usual food, she eats two or three
Despite the fact that the catfish is not able to grab prey with its teeth due to their smallness, it bites painfully. There are also known cases of catfish attacks on people. All this makes the reservoirs in which these unusual creatures live unsafe for swimming.