The stingray weighs almost as much as a polar bear and holds the record for the largest freshwater fish ever caught

The stingray weighs almost as much as a polar bear and holds the record for the largest freshwater fish ever caught.

It seems to be in the shape of a large pancake.

 

Last week, a fisherman in Cambodia reeled in what turned out to be the largest freshwater fish that has ever been caught. This achievement earned him the bragging rights to a genuine fish tale.

 

The massive Urogymnus polylepis, also known as the giant freshwater stingray, measured at more than 13 feet (4 meters) in length and weighed in at a whopping 661 pounds (299.8 kilograms). In spite of its enormous size, relatively little research has been done on this species of stingray's natural habits and activities. For researchers to learn more about the record-travel breaker's patterns and preferred habitats, the record-breaker was tagged and then released.

 

The discovery of the fish shaped like a flapjack has confirmed that the giant freshwater stingray is the largest known fish in the world. It has surpassed the Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas), the largest specimen caught in Thailand in 2005, weighing 646 pounds (293 kilograms).

 

Additionally, the Mekong River is the birthplace of the huge freshwater stingray. According to NBC, a fisherman named Moul Thun caught it on June 13 in the province of Stung Treng, located in the northeastern part of Cambodia. Thun contacted researchers from the conservation organization Wonders of Mekong the following morning. These individuals have been working in the river to document and protect huge stingrays. According to Zeb Hogan, director of the Wonders of the Mekong project and research associate professor at the University of Nevada in Reno, these enormous fish are exclusively found in the Mekong River. Hogan made this statement to NBC.

 

"It's a robust stretch of the river with a lot of deep pools — basins up to 90 meters [295 feet] deep," Hogan, a fish biologist who presents the television series "Monster Fish" on National Geographic, said. "It's a particularly healthy stretch of the river with many deep pools." "We started concentrating our efforts on this region since it is a section of river that is very significant for biodiversity and fisheries, as well as a final haven for these large species."

 

According to NBC, this is the third time in the past two months that a big stingray has been caught and then released. The fact that all three of the stingrays were females, including one that weighed 397 pounds (180 kilograms) and was collected in May, raises the likelihood that this section of the river serves as a nursery for stingrays, where they go to lay eggs and raise young.

 

The fisherpeople are compensated at the going market rate for any catches they release. The researchers also implanted an acoustic transmitter inside this stingray. This transmitter will allow the scientists to keep track of the enormous fish for an entire calendar year. Hogan told NBC that hydroelectric development projects could be on the horizon for sites along the Mekong and that it is necessary to understand the fish's migratory requirements to ensure that any future projects will not put the stingrays in danger. The researchers intend to tag and then release several significant Mekong River fish to accomplish this goal.

 

In a video made available by Wonders of the Mekong, Hogan said, "This is going to provide us that first type of empirical data to obtain that information about those particular migratory patterns of fish." Therefore, to advance the cause of the species' conservation, it will be extremely important to acquire information about individual members of the species.

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/biggest-freshwater-fish-stingray

Image source  : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/laut-ombak-sunrise-senja-1867285/

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