As soon as large fish were discovered in the oceans and seas, people began to fear them. Everyone was afraid of how large freshwater inhabitants satisfy their hunger. After all, the larger a fish, the more food it needs for food. Therefore, to meet the needs of its growing organism in food, freshwater giants begin to eat their smaller relatives of different species. Usually fish are classified according to such characteristics as genus, species, etc. We tried to do it on the basis of their size. And here we invite you to get acquainted with the list of the top 10 the largest freshwater fish in the world .
10
Taimen
Taimen is a big fish from the salmon family, that's why it is often called "Russian salmon".Its place of residence 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 ruthless character. It is believed that the taimen is able to feed on its own cubs. For this freshwater species, there are no restrictions in food. Russian salmon is eating literally everything that comes in its way.
9
Catfish
Catfish are a large freshwater scaly fish. Inhabits 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 to 300-400 kg. Despite the large size, the body of the catfish is extremely flexible. This allows the active night predator to quickly obtain food for himself. There is a misconception that this species feeds only on carrion or spoiled food. But this is not so. In fact, the main food for catfish are fry, small crustaceans and aquatic insects. And then, such a diet for freshwater fish is only at an early stage of development. Later it is replenished with live fish, various mollusks and other freshwater animals. There are even known cases when the largest catfish attacked small domestic animals and waterfowl.
8
Nile perch
Nile perch you can meet in the rivers, lakes and ponds of tropical Africa. It is especially common in the Ethiopian region. The body of the rancid predator reaches a length of 1-2 meters and a weight of 200 or more kg. In food, the Nile perch uses crustaceans and various types of fish.
7
Beluga
Beluga belongs to the family of sturgeon. This large fish lives at the depths of the Azov, Black and Caspian seas. Beluga can reach a whole ton in weight. Her body length will be more than 4 meters. This species belongs to real centenarians. Predator can live up to 100 years. In food, the beluga prefers such species of fish as herring, bullhead, tulka, etc. Also, the fish likes to eat shellfish, and sometimes hunts the cubs of the seal - the whitecocks.
6
White sturgeon
White sturgeon is the largest fish that lives in North America and ranks sixth in our rating of the world's largest fish .It is distributed in fresh waters, from the Aleutian Islands to Central California. Predator grows to a length of 6 m and can gain weight of 800 kg. This type of large fish is extremely aggressive. Basically, white sturgeon lives on the bottom. The predator feeds on molluscs, worms, and fish.
5
Paddles
Paddlefish is a huge freshwater fish that lives mostly in the Mississippi River. Also representatives of this species can also be found in a number of large rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Predatory paddlefish does not pose a threat to man. 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, which usually grow in the depths of fresh water. The maximum fixed body length of the paddler is 221 cm. The largest fish can gain weight up to 90 kg. The average lifespan of the paddlefish is 55 years.
4
Carp
Carp is a very large omnivorous fish. This species lives almost in all freshwater rates, reservoirs, rivers and lakes. At the same time carp prefers to colonize quiet, standing waters with a hard clayey and slightly silted bottom. It is believed that the largest individuals live in Thailand. Carp is able to reach in weight over a hundred kilograms. Usually fish of this species live about 15-20 years. The carp diet includes small fish. Also, predators like to eat caviar of other fish, crustaceans, worms, insect larvae. During the hunt for this species is characterized by the killing of a large number of small fish, because carp needs food constantly, since it refers to such fish as the non-intestinal.
3
Ramp
The third place in our list of the ten most large freshwater fish in the world takes the ramp. The stingray is a beautiful predatory fish that can be found both in the tropical seas, in the waters of the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as in fresh water. Most fish of this species are common in Asia. Populate stingrays and shallows, and depth. The most giant individuals reach up to 7-8 m in length. At the same time, the ramp can gain weight up to 600 kg. Eat large fish, preferably echinoderms, cancers, mollusks and small fish.
2
The giant mekong catfish
The giant Mekong catfish lives in the fresh waters of Thailand. He is considered the largest representative of his species and is therefore often considered and studied separately from his relatives. The width of the body of the giant Mekong catfish sometimes reaches more than 2.5 m. The maximum weight of this fish species is 600 kg. Eat giant mekong catfish with live fish and small freshwater animals.
1
Alligator Gar
Alligator Gar( armored pike) is considered a real monster. This giant fish with exotic appearance lives in the fresh waters of the rivers in the southeast of the United States of America for more than 100 million years. This species was named due to its elongated muzzle and double row of canine teeth. Alligator Gar has the ability to spend time on land, but not more than 2 hours. Fish weight can reach 166 kg. Three meters is the usual length for individuals of this species. Gator is known for his fierce and bloodthirsty character. It feeds on smaller fish, but numerous cases of predator attacks on humans are recorded.
