Cambodian fisherman caught the largest freshwater fish: a 4 meters stingray [VIDEO]

(FISHBIO)

A fisherman caught a 4 meter stingray in the Mekong River in Cambodia. The enormous animal has a weight of about 300 kilograms.

This is the largest freshwater fish in the history of scientific observation, according to FISHBIO, a research organization.

Sadly, it is increasingly difficult for freshwater megafauna to survive in the modern world.

Poaching, dam building and water pollution strongly stress large turtles, crocodiles and other inhabitants of rivers and lakes.

Some of those large animals have already become extinct, such as the Chinese river dolphin and the Chinese Psephurus gladius, while others are on the verge of extinction.

However, giant animals can still be found in freshwater, and a Cambodian fisherman is the last example.

On June 13, he was fishing on the Mekong River and caught a very large freshwater stingray (Urogymnus polylepis).

The fisherman did not kill the fish, instead, he reached scientists from the FISHBIO Wonders of the Mekong research project, which is studying the ecosystem of the river.

They arrived at the scene a few hours later to study the giant stingray and compensated the fisherman with $600.

After examining the stingray, the scientists found that it was a female and named her Borami, meaning "full moon".

They decided that name because of the night the fish was after her capture, the moon was visible above the horizon.

The length of the body of the fish from the snout to the tip of the tail is almost 4 meters, the width is 2.2 meters, and the weight is about 300 kilograms.

Although representatives of the species U. polylepis often reach impressive sizes, such large specimens have never been seen by zoologists before.

After examination, the specialists released the big fish into the wild, fixing an acoustic mark at the base of her tail.

This will allow tracking its movement using a network of receivers installed along the banks of the river.

FISHBIO scientists note that they have caught three more female giant rays in the same part of the Mekong where Borami was caught.

The researchers believe they sailed there to give birth to their young.

According to experts from FISHBIO, Borami is the largest freshwater fish in the history of scientific observations.

The previous record was held by a giant shilb catfish (Pangasianodon gigas), which was caught in 2005 in Thailand.

Despite the large size of U. polylepis stingrays and living in large parts of Southeast Asia and the island of Borneo, ichthyologists know almost nothing about these fish.

Meanwhile, this species has already become endangered due to poaching and the construction of dams in the Mekong, as mentioned before. Other large fish face similar problems.

Sources:

• FISHBIO: https://fishbio.com/fishbio-scientists-tag-worlds-largest-mekong-giant-stingray-in-cambodia/
• NatGeo: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/enormous-stingray-sets-world-record-for-largest-freshwater-fish

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