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As it is known, the largest inhabitants of our planet are not terrestrial animals, but inhabitants of the sea and ocean depths. Answering the question - what the biggest fish in the world, many mistakenly call the blue whale. In fact, this huge creature is not related to fish, but to mammals - just like dolphins.
This was primarily the protection of whale sharks on the South Ari Atoll, which justified the introduction of the largest marine protected area in the country. Of course, with the booming tourism industry, it is necessary to establish proper controls so that increased boat traffic does not become a problem. Based on our statistics, 54% of whale sharks in South Ari caused injuries to humans, mainly from boat strikes. This is not an isolated problem, and whale sharks suffer from collisions of blood vessels around the world.
However, you can help here. Before booking a whale shark tour agency, there are a few simple questions you can ask: do they hold a briefing in advance? Do they follow a code of conduct? Are there any scientific studies in which they contribute?
Biggest fish
It is for this reason that the leading in this rating is whale shark, reaching a length of 18-20 meters, and in weight - 10-12 tons. The appearance of this fish is similar to its relatives, but the shape of the mouth, as can be immediately noticed, is more similar to the whale. This flat hole of enormous size is equipped with numerous small teeth - out of more than ten thousand.
If it concerns customers, it is in the interests of the companies to behave accordingly. There is no doubt that more needs to be done to protect this magnificent view, but we get there. Currently, a large number of targeted fisheries have been closed, now the ban on tying the purse-net is prohibited, there are no targeted sports, and the public impact on whale sharks during excursions is high. With all this growing support and love for whale sharks, it may just be possible that we can cancel their falling numbers and perpetuate them as a beacon of hope for shark species everywhere.
absolutely harmless to humans and large marine life - in contrast to the tradition adopted among sharks, it does not attack either squid, octopus, or sea fish. The whale shark feeds on practically marine trifles - crayfish and plankton, eating up to 200 kilograms of this delicacy a day. The principle of its nutrition is the same as that of the whales: it passes water through itself, as through a filter, leaving everything edible inside. Of the shark family, the whale can be called not only the largest, but also the most beautiful.
Edward Doherty recently graduated from university with integrated masters in marine biology from the University of Bangor, North Wales. He currently works as a field coordinator and marine biologist for the Maltese Whale Shark Research Program.
Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. The risk of extinction and the preservation of sharks and rays in the world. Detection of the decline of whale shark observations in the Andaman Sea, Thailand, using data from an ecotourism operator. Evidence of behavioral thermoregulation of the world's largest fish.
So, the whale shark's mouth is simply huge, so a logical question arises - can this fish swallow, for example, a human? The answer will be very categorical - of course not. The point here is in the anatomy, namely - the structure of the mouth and pharynx of this giant. Despite the fact that the mouth of this sea creature has unimaginable dimensions, and even is littered with thousands of teeth, its throat is very narrow. This fish cannot use its teeth for its intended purpose, i.e. chew them because This requires the presence of powerful muscles on the sides of the jaws - they are simply not present in sharks. In addition, these sea creatures have a too straight angle of rotation, through which the esophagus goes to the stomach - this will not allow any long object to get inside. For example, in the event that the whale shark suddenly swallows the oar, it will simply get stuck at the beginning of the entire digestive tract of the fish.
Belt-fish or herring king
Alison Green, a senior marine scientist. Recently, I had one of the most exciting events in my life - swimming with whale sharks. These magnificent and impressive gentle giants are the biggest fish in the world, and for a biologist like me, it was at the top of my bucket list.
One minute we hung in the center of La Paz on the coast of Baja California in Mexico. Then we got into a small boat and went to the bay; In just 10 minutes, we were surrounded by about 10 of the largest fish in the world, casually swimming around us! We worked out the direction in which they swam, slipped into the water in front of them and before we knew it: they were right in front of us. The huge, impressive fish traveled slowly.
Therefore, whale sharks are content, as well as, sea krill and plankton. There have been cases in which dozens of buttons, shoes, belts, and even tights were found in the stomachs of caught individuals. But this does not mean that these fish swallowed people - just all these objects got into their mouths along with the undercurrent, in the process of swallowing fish with the next portion of water. The whale shark searches for places of all kinds of marine trifles, opens its mouth and draws in a huge portion of such a "soup", filtering it and leaving everything inside that is suitable for further digestion. To maintain vital activity, these fish of impressive size have to rather actively feed. About six thousand waters are pumped through the filtration and comb-shaped apparatus of the whale shark per hour. At the same time, such fish prefers to be in the surface layers of reservoirs, choosing tropical and subtropical seas for vital activity. The most comfortable temperature for it is the range of 21-25 degrees.
Giant Mekong catfish and common catfish
We swam like crazy to try to keep up. In the end, we saw the head, the body, and then a cruise on the tail and out of sight. Incredible: it was just one of the best events in my life. Sometimes they remain stationary and vertical in the water column, and feed by pumping water with water through their mouths and through their gills.
Whale sharks are usually divided by sex and size. Scientists believe that the young whale sharks that we saw in La Paz can be aggregated in the coastal zone in order to take advantage of the seasonal abundance of preferred prey necessary for their rapid growth.
These giants are very peaceful creatures. According to the stories of divers, as well as numerous photos you can find out and see how they could fearlessly touch and even stroke the whale sharks. Accidentally getting into the mouth of such a fish does not work: the fact is that, as soon as an object appears in front of it, more than that which can fit in its throat, this creature immediately closes its huge mouth. In general, whale sharks do not like meeting people and try to quickly get away from them to the depths. There were cases when these fish overturned boats, however, this was not at all because they wanted to eat their passengers, but because of poor eyesight - it is very poorly developed in whale sharks.
Can tourism help the world's largest fish?
Adults are usually found in small clusters in ocean waters on the shelf, where they feed on diffuse patches of other crustaceans. 
Once live in the oceans and are protected by international law. However, they are still focused on fishermen in some areas, for example in Southeast Asia.
Fortunately, tourists are willing to pay for the privilege of swimming with these impressive creatures, and this has become an important ecotourism activity in areas where whale sharks come together for feeding. We hope that their interaction with people will help to save these magnificent animals by protecting them from overfishing - provided the industry is managed in such a way as to ensure the safety of the whale sharks and the people who swim with them.
In the network today you can see a large number of photos of whale sharks, but for the first time this marine creature was investigated by zoologists in 1820: then a relatively small specimen, four and a half meters long, was caught by whalers - this happened near the shores of South Africa. It was a great success for scientists; In general, to date, no more than a hundred whale sharks have been studied by biologists. The first photo of a giant shark was taken by Tour Heerdal - at that time he was making his famous expedition on the raft Ton-Tiki. As for the meeting with these creatures directly at sea - this happened in 1976, when the Australian Rodney Fox and a group of amateur divers went on an expedition to the coastal reef Ningallu. Their goal was to shoot white sharks, for which they submerged in water in large protective cages. The sight before them surprised everyone. The fact is that just at this period - the beginning of spring - coral polyps begin to actively release into the sea the eggs that have already matured. This, in turn, attracts huge amounts of krill. And already after him, more precisely, to the big feast, whale sharks swim.
Protecting nature contributes to the protection of these tender giants, as La Paz is one of our priorities in the Bach Maritime Initiative, where we work with local stakeholders to develop and apply innovative environmental management and fishing tools.
Today we are also proud of several giant land animals, birds or aquatic organisms. Considering the last group of animals, you should pay special attention to the whale shark - the biggest fish of the world today and one of the most mysterious and beautiful creatures known to humanity at the same time.
Today, for scuba divers to observe whale sharks and photograph them, a whole scheme has been worked out. First, with the help of a reconnaissance aircraft, the powerboat finds the right point - where the giant is. The boat swims forward, scuba divers dive for about five meters and freeze, waiting for the appearance of a giant living "submarine". The shark, with its poor eyesight, often approaches swimmers at arm's length, without paying the slightest attention to people. After the curious divers begin to pester the fish and even try to ride on it, it seeks to quickly escape.
Whale shark. A whale shark is not an animal associated with a particular area — it moves easily. They say that this is a "cosmopolitan" species - it appears in almost all tropical and subtropical waters, in addition to the Mediterranean Sea. It is distributed in the open sea, as well as near river areas and areas of cold sea currents. It was observed that these huge fish appear repeatedly in the same places in certain seasons of the year. It is very likely that this is due to the search for a huge amount of plankton, which is their food, and, moreover, with the mating season.
Today, the Australian government has taken care to impose strict restrictions on the rules for contactless immersion - in order not to disturb the inhabitants of the deep sea too often. By the way, a notable contribution concerning the possibility of capturing whale sharks on a camera was made by the well-known researcher of the seas and oceans, Jacques-Yves Cousteau - it was he who designed the sealed box for imaging equipment. Much to study these giants did Eugene Goodger, a biologist from the Museum of Natural History in New York. For example, he noticed an interesting feature that distinguishes it from similar species that feed on marine “broth”: the whale shark does not plow the sea with an open mouth, but first searches for the place where the prey is accumulated, and then begins the process of pumping water and filtering it, like a pump. Such spectacles, recorded in the photo, of course, are all the costs made on the trip to the marine reserve - Ningally reef.
This fish lives in most warm seas and oceans. Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Indian Ocean Arabian Sea Red Sea. . It is also found in shallow coastal waters, near coral reefs. The whale shark stands out as special among other sharks. However, the whale shark selects near-surface open waters. Despite its usual lifestyle, the whale shark can dive into a deep depth of up to 700 meters, this is not a problem. It can stay in depth long enough to get a significant amount of food.
The whale shark is the leader in size among marine fish, but among freshwater one can distinguish tropical goliath, or arapaimu. The length of this fish, which from a distance can be taken for a regular canoe, is two human height, i.e. up to 4.5 meters weighing up to 200 kilograms. Arapayma has an elongated body, covered with a shell of scales and a beautiful red tail. The last record holder was caught in 1978 in Rio Negro (Brazil), 2.5 meters long and weighing 150 kilograms. And in general, if we compare in size with other inhabitants of the ocean, jellyfish can also be distinguished, for example, which was discovered on North America thrown on the coast - its height is truly a record one - more than 30 meters!
During migration, the whale shark covers long distances. The length of the starting and ending point is measured in thousands of kilometers. It takes a shark several weeks or months to cross such great distances. We could not have obtained such knowledge without the use of satellite transmitters in East Asia.
Completes this list beluga
One animal began its journey in the Philippines to mark its end in Vietnam. Thanks to the data of the transmitters, it was found that these sharks begin to migrate only after reaching an adequate size - at least 5 meters in length. Whale sharks lead a solitary life. They are active both day and night.
Interestingly, the price of one kilogram of arapaima meat, which is extremely tender and tasty, almost boneless, is much more than the income of an Amazonian fisherman for a month. In North America, such meat is sold only in elite stores. Dwells this miracle of nature in the Amazon. The respiratory system of this fish is interesting: as a lung a bladder attached to the esophagus is used - every 15 minutes this river dweller needs to lean out of the water. It feeds on small fish, grinding them with a bony and rough tongue. It is used by locals as sandpaper.
Whale sharks are absolutely stunning in terms of color. The main reason is the beauty of the spots, which, interestingly, are systematically arranged in lines. The back of the whale shark can be dark gray, brown or green with a slight addition of red. The brackets are usually yellow, white and green.
The belly of a shark is white or greenish. The shark's coloring develops until it reaches 4 meters in length - then the final picture of the coloring is decided. Distinctive patches, arranged as checkers, are a unique symbol system for each whale shark. The flattened head is accompanied by a wide mouth. Small eyes close, leaning back and moving inside the head. From the nasal area grow small pins. The whale shark has 3 keels - one in the middle of its body and two in the upper region.
Previously, the largest fish in the Amazon was the staple food for the indigenous people of these places. However, since the 60s, this species of fish has almost disappeared, because he began to actively catch Europeans networks. Today, the sale of arapime, having a length of less than one and a half meters, is prohibited.
This fish also has extremely thick skin. The body of the whale shark has a streamlined shape, and the head is flattened. A wide mouth is located on the tip of the head - contrary to, for example, the great white shark, whose mouth is located slightly back. The dorsal fin, located closer to the head, is larger than the second, located near the fish tail. The caudal fin is crescent-shaped.
In young whale sharks, usually the upper part of the caudal fin is much larger than its lower part. The adult whale shark can reach from 15 to 20 meters in length, although these are only approximate values for the maximum length of this shark. However, the claims are not confirmed.
Everyone who wants to meet with arapayma in the wild Wildlife of the Amazon today provides the opportunity for many travel companies. This fish, which reaches six meters in length and has a mass of one ton in Indian legends, thanks to its beauty and dimensions, is a welcome prey for many fishermen, not only local, but also visitors. For the participants of tourist expeditions, fishing canoes are allocated here - for each angler it is separate, with a professional guide. The latter is engaged in instructing on catching and driving a boat. The first such expeditions began to organize Jakub Wagner, who, at one time, won the IGFA world record (category "All-Tackle"). This happened in 2008: then Yakub managed to catch a huge arapaima in Amazonia, the length of which was 249 centimeters, and its mass - 130 kilograms.
Sideline and ampoules of Lorenzini
However, he does not use them to purchase food. The whale shark has a narrow esophagus, which does not allow it to swallow a larger catch. Despite the incompatibility of the whale shark with its other predatory cousins, it also has many similarities - the lateral line and the Lorenzini ampullae, which are specially designed sensory systems. The side line consists of two channels located next to the body. Inside they carry several sensory cells.
This system allows the fish to sense even the slightest vibration of water. Thus, the shark can identify the size, speed and location of the object causing these vibrations. Ampoules Lorenzini are used to detect changes in the electric field. They are also supposed to investigate the temperature of the water, its salinity, or changes in pressure.
Exclusively for Neobasparium,
Mila Shurok
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Fish a little more than half a meter long that live in fresh water looks very large, but among freshwater fish there are a variety of species that are so large in length and weight that it is difficult to imagine.
The whale shark is one of three sharks feeding on plankton. In addition to plankton, he also eats small fish, mollusks, sometimes cuttlefish or even tuna. The whale shark also feeds on phytoplankton and other underwater plants. The mechanism of acquiring food is very interesting - the shark can choose from two approaches: active and passive. Swimming under the surface of the water just opens the mouth - so we call it passive. Wanting to actively buy food, she sucks in water.
Sharks can catch a feast even at dusk or at night. The shark occupies a vertical position, turning its head upwards. The shark perceives plankton due to the highly developed olfactory apparatus located on both sides of the upper lip. It is known that the whale shark is an ovoid species. The female gives birth to 16 children's sharks. However, the place of their childbirth remains a mystery. It is believed that only 10% of babies out of one litter survive.
Of course, the inhabitants of the depths of the sea are distinguished by a wider variety of shapes and sizes, but in some rivers and lakes there are unique species of the largest freshwater fish in the world.
Lovers of fishing should always be very careful, especially when fishing in little-known water bodies. It is not known to what extent the catfish or perch could grow in the deep waters of a lake not visited by anyone. So not for long and to become the prey of some two-meter pike. 🙂
10. Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Carp (carp) - a large omnivorous fish living in freshwaters with stagnant water and a silt bottom. The body is covered with large scales and has a golden hue. Very voracious fish, able to eat almost the whole day. Carps eat young shoots of reeds and other aquatic plants, as well as mollusks, aquatic insects, and even the eggs of other fish and frogs. Since the average size of this fish is small, it occupies the last place in the top ten of the largest freshwater fish in the world. The biggest carp was caught in 2015 in Hungary. Its weight was 48 kg.
9.
Paddle - a large freshwater fish inhabiting water bodies in the eastern part of the United States, in particular, rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Most common in Mississippi and its associated lakes. On average, adults reach sizes of 221 cm and weights of 90.7 kg. Live long, up to 55 years. These freshwater fish are the only species of sturgeon that feed on zoo, phytoplankton, as well as remains (detritus) and excreta of invertebrates.
8.
Siberian taimen (Russian salmon) - species of predatory freshwater fish belonging to the salmon family. These fish are inhabited by the fast and cold waters of Siberia, Altai and the Far East. It is considered to be the biggest salmon in the world for good reason: such a fish can be 1m long and weigh 50-60 kg. In choosing food, taimen is not whimsical; it hunts for all kinds of fish that are smaller than it. It has a different color, but you can recognize it by the head of olive-green hue, reddish-brown tail and 8-10 cross strips on the sides. The life span of taimen is much longer than that of other salmonids. Due to this, fish can grow to sizes above average.
The largest taimen in the world was caught in the Krasnoyarsk Territory on the Kotui River, in 1943. The weight of this fish was 105 kg and its length was 210 cm.
7.
Pike Crab - ray-green fish of the carapace family. Swims in fresh and brackish waters of Central and North America. It is not only one of the largest freshwater fish on the planet, but also one of the most ancient - the ancestors of this species lived on Earth more than 100 million years ago. The name received for a truly awesome look: the long body is covered with thick, like shell with scales, and the sharp muzzle has powerful jaws with four rows of teeth. The length of fresh-shelled pike can reach 3 m and weigh up to 136 kg. Mostly eat small fish, but can attack people.
6. Nile perch (Lates niloticus)
Nile perch - the largest freshwater fish in the world of the perciformes. It is found in the reservoirs of Africa (Nile, Senegal, Congo, etc.). We are used to catch perch "on the palm" and more, but this species grows up to 2 m in length and weighs up to 200 kg. The average length of African freshwater perch will be 120-140 cm. The fish has a silver color with a blue tint. It feeds on smaller fish, insects, crayfish, and does not disdain its congeners.
5.
Brazilian arapaima - tropical freshwater fish from the aravan family. Distributed in lakes and rivers of South America. The body of this fish has a greenish color in the front, with a smooth transition to red in the tail and an incredibly strong scales. Due to reliable protection, arapaima is adjacent to such ferocious predators as piranhas. It mainly feeds on fish and, on occasion, birds and small animals. The average length of 2 meters, but there are individuals up to 3 meters and weighing 200 kg.
Brazilian arapaima has a unique feature - it is able to breathe atmospheric air.
4.
Mekong catfish (shilb catfish) - ray-green fish of the Pangasiev catfish family. Inhabits the rivers of Thailand: the Mekong and Tonle Sap. The largest specimen was 2.7 m in length and weighed 293 kg. These freshwater fish eat phytoplankton and algae, also hunt for fish and small animals. Due to excessive fishing there is the likelihood of complete extinction of this species. According to some data over the past 14 years, its population in the world has decreased by 80%. Therefore, shilb catfish is included in the international Red Book.
3.
Som ordinary - a large, bottomless scale fish living in the deep fresh waters of lakes and rivers, Europe, Asia and parts of Russia. This fish is a real giant among aquatic creatures. Therefore, it is included in the list with the largest freshwater fish in the world. With great depth and enough food, it can grow up to 5 m in length and weigh up to 400 kg. There are no official confirmations of the second digit, but there are many eyewitness accounts. For these sizes, you need a lot of food. Some sources say that catfish feed exclusively on carrion. In fact, these fish prefer to hunt small fish, crustaceans, waterfowl, aquatic insects, small mammals, and even their relatives.
Catfish are very large predatory fish with aggressive nature that live in fresh water, including in places where people swim. In this regard, they pose a danger to humans, because can cause quite serious injuries. There are official testimonies about the attack of two-meter soms on people.
2.
White sturgeon is the third largest in the sturgeon family. It inhabits the fresh waters of North America and is considered the largest cultural heritage of British Columbia. The sturgeon likes to live in the calm waters of the west coast; it is distinguished by its large size: up to 6 m long and weighing up to 816 kg. The fish is very aggressive, has a characteristic gray color with white spots and diamonds on the sides and on the back. Sturgeons live very long, longer than humans, up to 100-110 years old, can breed only from 14 years (males) and 18 (females). Eats predator mollusks, crustaceans, worms and fish.
1. Beluga (Huso huso)
Beluga - large freshwater fish from the sturgeon family, living in the Caspian, Black and Azov seas. This fish grows to enormous size: 4-5 meters in length and weighs up to one and a half tons. According to unconfirmed data, individuals were 9 meters long and weighing up to 2 tons. That is why the beluga is the largest freshwater fish in the world. It feeds on different types of fish, mollusks, but prefers sprat, gobies, herring. Beluga is a valuable commercial fish, because it contains the most expensive caviar in the world - black. The cost of a kilogram of black caviar in Europe can exceed 7,000 euros. Beluga is listed in the Red Book.
Also, another large commercial fish kaluga (Huso dauricus). We did not include it in the ranking of the largest freshwater fish in the world to make our TOP-10 more diverse. Inhabits the Amur River. Grown up individuals feed on minnows and other small fish, and later they feed on carp, common carp, salmon, grass carp, and sometimes their relatives. It can grow up to 5-6 meters in length, and the maximum recorded weight of the “Queen of Amur” is 600 kg. This giant was caught by a Chinese fisherman in 2012. There is an assumption that previously fishes weighing up to a ton have been encountered. Included in the international and Russian Red Book. Kaluga is a freshwater fish, but it is able to adapt to life in salty sea water.
Gray bull shark (stupid) inhabits the tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans. It belongs to the family of gray sharks, whose representatives can live in both salt and fresh water and is the largest of them. Among all the species of shark species currently living, it has the greatest bite force - up to 6000 Newton. According to some reports, it reaches a length of 3.5-4 m and weighs up to 400 kg. Females are larger than males, aggressive and merciless. The bull shark hunts in the shallowest fresh waters near the sandy beaches. Although this is a big fish, we did not include it in the rating, since freshwater rivers and lakes are not its main habitat.
- The smallest freshwater fish in the world - dwarf pandak (Pandaka pygmaea). Has almost transparent colorless body. It is found in the lakes of the Philippine island of Luzon. It grows no more than 1 centimeter and weighs 4-5 mg.
- The largest fish in the world, among the inhabitants of both fresh and salt water - whale shark (Rhincodon typus).
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