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As soon as large fish were discovered in the oceans and seas, people began to fear them. Everyone was afraid of how the big freshwater inhabitants satisfy their hunger. After all, the larger a fish, the more food it needs to feed. Therefore, in order to satisfy the needs of their growing body for food, freshwater giants begin to eat their smaller relatives of different species. Typically, fish are classified according to features such as genus, species, and the like. We tried to do it based on their size. Here is the list of top 10 largest freshwater fish in the world.
10 Taimen
Taimen is a large fish from the salmon family, so it is often called nothing more than “Russian salmon”. Its habitat is the large rivers and lakes of Siberia, the Far East and Altai. The predator is able to reach 1 m or more in length and up to 55-60 kg in weight. This species is famous for its aggressive and merciless character. It is believed that the taimen is able to feed on its own cubs. There are no food restrictions for this freshwater species. Russian salmon eats literally everything that comes in its way.
9. Catfish
Catfish is a large freshwater scaleless fish. It lives in lakes, rivers of the European part of Russia, as well as in Europe and the Aral Sea basin. In good conditions, this species grows up to 5 m in length and at the same time gains weight up to 300-400 kg. Despite their large size, the body of catfish is extremely flexible. This allows an active nocturnal predator to quickly get their own food. There is a misconception that this species feeds only on carrion or spoiled food. But it is not. In fact, the main food for catfish are fry, small crustaceans and aquatic insects. And then, such a diet in freshwater fish is only at an early stage of development. Later, it is replenished with live fish, various shellfish and other freshwater animals. There are even cases when the largest catfish attacked small domestic animals and waterfowl.
8. Nile perch
You can meet the Nile perch in the rivers, lakes and ponds of tropical Africa. It is especially common in the Ethiopian region. The body of a restive predator reaches a length of 1-2 meters and a weight of 200 or more kg. The Nile perch eats crustaceans and various types of fish.
7. Beluga
Beluga belongs to the sturgeon family. This large fish lives in the depths of the Azov, Black and Caspian seas. Beluga can reach a whole ton in weight. At the same time, its body length will be more than 4 meters. Real long-livers belong to this species. The predator can live up to 100 years. In food, the beluga prefers such types of fish as herring, gobies, sprat, etc. Also, the fish likes to eat shellfish, and sometimes it hunts seal cubs – pups.
6. white sturgeon
The white sturgeon is the largest fish found in North America and is ranked sixth in our ranking. biggest fish in the world. It is distributed in fresh waters from the Aleutian Islands to central California. The predator grows up to 6 m in length and can gain weight of 800 kg. This species of large fish is extremely aggressive. Mostly white sturgeon lives at the bottom. The predator feeds on mollusks, worms, and fish.
5. paddlefish
The paddlefish is a huge freshwater fish that lives primarily in the Mississippi River. It is also possible to meet representatives of this species in a number of large rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. The predatory paddlefish does not pose a threat to humans. However, he likes to feed on individuals of his own species or other fish. And yet most of those who belong to this species are herbivores. They prefer to eat only herbs and plants that usually grow in the depths of fresh water. The maximum recorded body length of the paddlefish is 221 cm. The largest fish can gain weight up to 90 kg. The average life expectancy of a paddlefish is 55 years.
4. Carp
Carp is a very large omnivorous fish. This species lives in almost all freshwater rates, reservoirs, rivers and lakes. At the same time, carp prefers to populate quiet, stagnant waters with a hard clay and slightly silted bottom. It is believed that the largest individuals live in Thailand. Carp can reach a weight of more than one hundred kilograms. Typically, fish of this species live for about 15-20 years. The diet of carp includes small fish. Also, predators like to feast on caviar of other fish, crustaceans, worms, insect larvae. During the hunt, it is typical for this species to kill a large number of small fish, because the carp needs food all the time, as it belongs to such fish as stomachless.
3. Scat
Third place on our list of ten the most largest freshwater fish in the world occupies a ramp. The stingray is a beautiful predatory fish that can be found both in tropical seas, in the waters of the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as in fresh water. Most of all fish of this species are common in Asia. Inhabit slopes and shallow water, and depth. The most gigantic individuals reach up to 7-8 m in length. In this case, the slope can gain weight up to 600 kg. Large fish feed mainly on echinoderms, crayfish, mollusks and small fish.
2. Giant mekong catfish
The giant Mekong catfish lives in the fresh waters of Thailand. It is considered the largest member of its species and therefore is often considered and studied separately from its congeners. The body width of the giant Mekong catfish sometimes reaches more than 2,5 m. The maximum weight of this fish species is 600 kg. Giant Mekong catfish feed on live fish and small freshwater animals.
1. Alligator Gar
Alligator Gar (armored pike) is considered a real monster. This exotic looking giant fish has been living in the freshwater rivers of the southeastern United States of America for over 100 million years. This species is named for its elongated snout and double row of fangs. Alligator Gar has the ability to spend time on land, but not more than 2 hours. The weight of the fish can reach 166 kg. Three meters is the usual length for individuals of this species. Alligator Gar is known for his ferocious and bloodthirsty nature. It feeds on smaller fish, but repeated cases of predator attacks on people have been recorded.