The largest catfish in the world - photo with a description of the record. The largest catfish in the world photos

For many years now, information has been appearing about the largest catfish in the world. One such catfish can provide a whole family with fatty and tasty fish for several weeks to come. It turns out that catfish can be simply gigantic in size. This miracle fish lives in various freshwater bodies of Russia and the CIS countries. Many people around the world catch giant catfish. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the largest catfish on the planet.

But there is the largest catfish in the world, which was registered by the Guinness Book of Records. He was caught in Thailand. The weight of the largest catfish reached 292 kilograms. The catfish was caught in the Mekong River in 2005. This river has long been famous for the largest fish. But due to the fact that the river began to be polluted, catfish stopped being found in it. Because of this, such a catch was surprising to many. The largest catfish caught, the photo of which you can see, did not survive.

The largest catfish in Russia, which was caught in the 19th century, was an extremely amazing catch. But this can be explained by the fact that at that time the reservoirs were cleaner than now, and everyone knows that catfish love cleanliness and breed only in clean water. This largest catfish, whose weight reached 347 kilograms, was caught in Lake Issyk-Kul. An adult person could fit in the mouth of such a fish, but this data was not officially recorded. But it is worth noting that in Issyk-Kul, in honor of this event, an arch was built in the form of a giant jaw of the largest catfish in history.

The largest catfish caught in Holland was 2.3 meters long. He earned the nickname Big Momma due to his predatory lifestyle. The catfish was placed in a lake at a local park and those who admired it dreamed of catching the biggest catfish. Despite the fact that there is a fence around the lake, poachers still try to break it in order to get the largest catfish caught. This lake is popular because divers swim here, and for some reason they are sure that an encounter with a giant catfish will not threaten them. But they could be wrong. Even if this fish has not attacked people these days, there are many cases in history when the largest catfish in the world attack humans.

The largest catfish caught in Italy weighed 114 kilograms. He was caught by fisherman Robert Godey. Its length was 2.5 meters. The largest catfish caught in France weighed 120 kilograms. The largest catfish in Kazakhstan was caught in the Ili River. This happened in 2004. The weight of the largest catfish was 130 kilograms. And some sources mention another amazing case when the largest catfish in the world was caught in Uzbekistan. The weight of this catfish reached 430 kilograms.

Catfish is the largest (after beluga) fish in Russia, living in fresh water bodies. Its size and weight depend on the conditions of the reservoir in which they are found and the availability of food supply. Inhabits large rivers in the south and center of the European part.

Leonid Sabaneev wrote in his fundamental work on life and fishing that the most gigantic catfish was caught in the Dnieper. Its weight was 320 kg, and its body length exceeded 4 m. What can you say? Nice trophy!

Currently, reports from the fishing front no longer shine with such sensations. But this does not mean that large-sized catfish have disappeared. Often they just break down and leave. Or modest fishermen do not dare to post a photo with a huge fish. Meanwhile, on the Volga, two-meter individuals are not uncommon.

It is clear that this huge predator poses a danger to all other fish that are “lucky” to live with it in the same body of water. He can even be called the “King of Russian Rivers.” Even huge pikes that inadvertently caught his eye become his victims. But it attacks not only fish, but also people. They can easily bite a swimmer’s leg!

In addition to fish, catfish also have other animals in their diet. They often attack waterfowl - ducks, geese and their chickens. Even small catfish weighing 30-40 kg will attack a squirrel crossing the river. Even dogs that cannot offer any resistance to this big fish often become their victims.

Fishing out a hooked catfish can take more than an hour. They offer a lot of resistance. Often they drag an anchored boat far from the fishing spot, to the middle of the river. Many fishermen lose their nerve from fighting this giant and simply cut the line. This happens at the moment when a catfish 3-4 meters long floats to the surface for a moment and the fisherman sees the futility of his efforts and refuses to catch the trophy.

Scary rumors and facts about large catfish.

These fish are said to eat the bodies of drowned people. Hungry catfish can pull under the water a person who has swam too far from the shore. They are unlikely to be able to swallow him, but they can drag him to the bottom, where he will suffocate from lack of oxygen.

Underwater hunters note that a wounded catfish, like a wild boar, becomes very aggressive and attacks the shooter. Its bites are very sensitive and painful even through a diving suit. The predator's teeth are very sharp. In addition, the catfish can hit a person in the head, causing the latter to lose consciousness.

Now, probably, everyone has heard about cannibal catfish. In the Middle Ages, there were many reports that the bodies of small children were found in the stomach of this shark, so to speak. In our country, such rumors also take place.

A large catfish more than three meters long was caught in eastern China. Its mouth was very large, about 90 cm. Human remains were found in the stomach of this giant. Previously they thought that these people simply drowned. Most often, people are attacked by large fish that are no longer full of regular food. Having once tasted human meat, they, one might say, move “to a new level” and purposefully hunt Homo Sapiens. In Russia, as far as I know, there are no documented cases of cannibalism of these fish.

The average life expectancy of catfish is 40 years. Some sources indicate a maximum duration of more than 80 years.

Catfish is one of the largest predators inhabiting the underwater river world. With a sufficient food supply, catfish can live for hundreds of years, gaining weight up to 500 kg and growing in length up to 4-5 meters. It is indicated that the largest catfish was caught in Uzbekistan about 100 years ago. It weighed about 430 kg and was up to 5 meters long. Unfortunately, there is no official confirmation of this fact. You can find a mention that in Ukraine, in the Dnieper River, a catfish was caught, weighing 288 kg, which managed to grow up to 4 meters in length.

A catfish of this size can easily swallow an adult, as evidenced by official data. Some experts claim that there are cannibal catfish. But such statements have no scientific evidence. If human corpses are found in the belly of a river giant, it is assumed that the people were already dead. Simply put, these people drowned in due time, and only after that they were swallowed by a catfish.

Nowadays, the number of large catfish has sharply decreased due to the difficult environmental situation, as well as uncontrolled human fishing. In addition, modern gear has enormous potential in terms of catching fish. Despite this, weighty underwater predators are still occasionally encountered. In order not to be unfounded, we can present to your attention an overview of the largest catfish in the world, caught not so long ago.

In tenth place was a catfish from Belarus, whose length was 2 meters. It was caught by a local fisherman in 2011. When he and his assistants were catching fish with nets, after another cast, the nets suddenly refused to be pulled out of the water. For a whole hour, the fisherman and his comrades pulled the nets out of the water. After the catfish was pulled ashore, it was weighed and measured. With a length of two meters, its weight was 60 kg. The fishermen did not release the catfish, but let it go to fry.

2 – Weighty catfish from Spain

In 2009, local fishermen caught an albino catfish in the Ebro River, which was more than two meters long and weighed 88 kg. A Briton from Sheffield, Chris, managed to catch him. He tried to pull the catfish out on his own, but he failed. Chris had to ask for help from his friends, who also came to fish with him. It took more than 30 minutes for the catfish to reach the shore. The catfish was released after Chris and his friends, who helped pull the catfish out of the water, took a photo with it.

3 – Catfish from Holland

Eighth place goes to a catfish from Holland, who lives in the Centerparcs holiday park. The park is very popular among tourists and local residents. Moreover, everyone knows that a huge catfish, up to 2.3 meters long, lives in the park’s reservoir. This huge representative of the underwater world received the nickname “Big Momma”. The river monster eats up to three birds swimming on the lake a day, as evidenced by park guards. “Big Momma” is protected by the state, so fishing here is prohibited.

4 – Catfish from Italy

At the beginning of 2011, Italian Robert Godi managed to catch one of the largest catfish. He rightfully occupies the seventh position in this rating. With a length of about 2.5 meters, its weight was 114 kg. The experienced fisherman did not even hope that he would be so lucky. It took six people to pull the catfish out for almost an hour. Robert admitted that he arrived at the pond with friends in the hope of catching bream. The fact that instead of a bream a huge catfish pecked is very rare and unexpected. But most importantly, the catfish was pulled out. After determining its size and weight, the catfish was released back into the reservoir.

5 – French som

In the Rhone River, tourist Yuri Grisendi caught the largest catfish in France. After measurements, it became known that the catfish has a length of 2.6 meters and a weight of up to 120 kilograms. The man who caught him is engaged in a targeted hunt for such giants. Moreover, he catches not only catfish, but also other large representatives of the underwater world. Therefore, the catch cannot be called accidental, as in previous cases. After another monster is caught, it is filmed as evidence and released back into the water. There is nothing strange about this, because this is the hobby of this fisherman.

6 – Som from Kazakhstan

In fifth place is a giant from Kazakhstan, which was caught on the Ili River in 2007. He was caught by local fishermen. The giant had a weight of 130 kilograms and a length of 2.7 meters. According to local residents, they have never seen such a giant in their lives.

7 – Huge catfish from Thailand

In 2005, in May, the largest catfish of these places was caught on the Mekong River. He weighed 293 kg, with a length of 2.7 meters. The reliability of the data was established by Zeb Hogan, responsible for the WWF international project. During this period, he investigated the presence of the largest fish in the world. The albino catfish that was caught is one of the largest representatives of freshwater fish that he noted in his work. At one time it was noted in the Guinness Book of Records. They wanted to release Soma, but unfortunately, he did not survive.

8 – Big catfish from Russia

It’s not for nothing that this huge catfish is in third place. He was caught several years ago in Russia. This event took place on the Seim River, which flows through the Kursk region. It was certified by employees of the Kursk Fishery Supervision Authority in 2009. The weight of the catfish reached 200 kg, and its length was about 3 meters. Underwater fishermen-hunters saw him underwater absolutely by accident and managed to shoot at him with an underwater gun. The shot was successful, and the fishermen tried to pull it out on their own, but they were unable to do so. Therefore, they took the help of a rural tractor driver on a tractor.

After it was pulled ashore, local residents noted that this was the first such huge catfish that they had seen in their lives.

9 – Catfish caught in Poland

In second place is the largest catfish caught in Poland. He was caught on the Oder River. According to experts, this fish is more than 100 years old. This specimen weighed up to 200 kilograms and was 4 meters long.

A human corpse was discovered in the belly of this animal, so experts had to be invited. They concluded that the man was already dead when he was swallowed by this giant. So the rumors that the catfish could be a cannibal were again not confirmed.

10 - The giant that was caught in Russia

According to some statements, this huge fish was caught in Russia back in the 19th century. They caught him in Lake Issyk-Kul and this giant weighed 347 kg with a length of more than 4 meters. Some experts claim that at that time, at the place where this catfish was caught, an arch was built, reminiscent in appearance of the jaws of this huge underwater representative.

Unfortunately, recently there has been a sharp decline in the fish stocks of our lakes and rivers. Fish are increasingly suffering from pollution of water bodies by various chemicals that enter rivers, ponds and lakes from fields. In addition, waste from industrial enterprises is dumped into the water. Unfortunately, the state does not conduct a special fight against such pests in human form. At this rate, there is every reason to believe that humanity will soon be left without fish at all.

Fans of world records will be interested to know about the size of the largest catfish ever caught by a person, because it is no secret that this river inhabitant is second in size only to such a representative of the sturgeon as the beluga, which is also found in Russian reservoirs. At the same time, the mustachioed predator can be found not only in large rivers and lakes of the Eurasian continent, but also in almost all other regions of the planet, albeit not on such a scale.

In terms of size, the catfish is second only to the beluga

Habitat and potential threat

The favorite habitat of fish with large mustaches is warm waters, so its largest populations can be observed in the central and southern parts of Eurasia. A seemingly completely harmless river resident, catfish is not as simple as it seems and, unfortunately, there are often situations when it is not people who hunt this fish, which has tasty white meat, but vice versa.

Scientists have been observing this unique animal for a long time, as a result of which they were able to compile a rather entertaining selection of the most interesting facts about them:

At the same time, you should not rush to get a catfish with your bare hands, underestimating the threat that this freshwater monster poses, because you can hear many horror stories from real life, the main participant of which was the catfish.

The danger of large representatives

It must be admitted that small specimens of these fish do not pose a serious danger to humans, like representatives of the catfish family, which are of medium size. However, this cannot be said about huge catfish, whose mass exceeds 100 kilograms.

Very large individuals can pose a danger to humans

For example, in a small Turkish settlement back in 1970, fishermen managed to catch a two-meter monster, in whose womb it was not a small fish, but the corpse of a woman who had disappeared several days ago. After some time, two more people disappeared in the same area, and residents of nearby villages rushed to blame the giant catfish living at the bottom of the reservoir for the incident.

But despite the fact that cases of human remains being found in fish stomachs are not isolated, some scientists are quite skeptical about the theory of cannibal catfishes hunting those who decide to swim in the depths. As for the corpses in the womb of the fish, the researchers suggested that the catfish ate them as carrion, that is, in fact, we are talking about drowned people, and not at all about the victims of a river predator.

Famous world records

Despite the fact that catching a big catfish from the river is not so easy, as it might seem initially, some professional fishermen and ordinary amateurs still managed to do this.

Top 10 river giants

Every year people manage to set new records in the unofficial ranking “The largest catfish caught.” Currently, this list includes the following ten unique specimens, which belong to the heaviest weight category:

1. The absolute record holder today is a giant monster caught back in the 19th century in the waters of the famous Lake Issyk-Kul, which at that time was part of the possession of the Russian Empire. Surprisingly, the weight of the largest catfish caught in Russia was as much as 347 kilograms, while its length exceeded 4 meters. In honor of the giant, local residents decided to erect a small arch in the shape of fish jaws, of which not the slightest trace remains today.

   The largest catfish reached 4 meters in size

2. The second in the top “The largest catfish in the world” was the giant from the Polish Lake Oder, which has the same length as the previous specimen, but one and a half times less weight, amounting to 200 kg. In addition to its large weight, this catfish attracted the attention of researchers with two more characteristic features, the first of which indicated the impressive age of the animal (over 100 years), while the second was that a corpse was found in its belly. However, after all the relevant tests were carried out, it was found that the deceased first choked and only then was swallowed by a huge predator.
3. “Bronze” went to another of the largest catfish in Russia, which was pulled out from the Seim River, located among the banks of the Kursk region. This fish also weighed 200 kilograms, but its height only slightly exceeded the 3-meter mark. The story of the capture is also surprising, because the fishermen managed to shoot the fish underwater with a harpoon, but they were unable to raise it to the surface, as a result of which they had to call a local tractor driver and his equipment for help.

   The weight of a huge catfish can reach 200 kg or more

4. Another mustachioed giant, whose distinctive feature is its white color, was caught from the waters of the Mekong in exotic Thailand. At that time (2009), a fish weighing 275 kilos and more than two meters in length was considered the largest in the world, which allowed it to get into the famous Guinness Book of Records, however, it was not possible to save the life of this record holder, since he could not withstand the stress and died almost immediately after the measurements.
5. In 2007, in the Kazakh Il River, local fishermen were lucky enough to catch a truly large fish weighing 130 kilograms. It is noteworthy that the length of the predator, just like that of the Mekong albino, reached 2.7 meters.
6. Another record was set by Russian sports fishing enthusiast Yuri Grisendi, who went to explore the river waters of France. As a result, the gambling tourist managed to pull a huge fish weighing 120 kilos and more than two and a half meters long onto the bank of the Rhone River.

   A huge catfish weighing 120 kg was caught in France

7. An Italian named Godi managed to pull out a catfish of the same length, although the weight of this animal was only 113 kilograms. It is difficult to predict how this situation could have developed if it were not for six friends of an avid fisherman who went with him to the river for bream. As in the previous case, the prey was measured, weighed, photographed and sent back to free swimming.
8. Eighth place goes to a catfish with a unique yellow color, which no one had to catch, since we are talking about an honorary resident of the central park of one of the Dutch cities. This fish, which received the funny nickname “Big Mommy” from local residents, is protected by law and all that is known about it today is its height of 2.3 meters.
9. In 2009, in the Spanish River Ebro, British tourist Sheffield Chris caught another albino, whose live weight reached 88 kilos. It took half an hour to pull out the monster struggling in the river waters and, most likely, the Briton would not have been able to cope with the task if not for his faithful friends.
10. The top 10 is closed by a two-meter catfish weighing 60 kilograms, which has more modest dimensions. He was caught by a Belarusian amateur fisherman, who spent an hour ensuring that the rare catch could not escape from his nets. This time the animal did not manage to go back to the bottom and the satisfied fisherman happily let it go for roasts and cutlets.

One can only guess whether all the largest specimens of river fish that people have ever managed to catch are included in this rating, because many records are simply not recorded, remaining only in the memory of happy fishermen.

Fishing for catfish

There are several useful secrets, the knowledge of which will help even a novice fisherman to pull a fairly large catfish ashore, quite suitable for preparing delicious stew and many other aromatic and rich dishes:

When going fishing for catfish, you need to remember how dangerous and uncontrollable this huge predator can be. And in order not to suffer from his actions, it is recommended to go fishing in a large group of friends and not swim to great depths, even if you want to look at the fish closer.

Catfish is a freshwater large fish without scales from the order Catfish, representing the catfish family.

The species is distributed in lakes and rivers throughout Europe, except Norway, Italy, England, Scotland and Spain. Representatives of this species are found in southern Finland and Sweden. The distribution area of ​​catfish in the south is limited to the coastal waters of the Black and Aegean Seas, in Asia – to the Aral Sea. Catfish that live in rivers that flow into the Black, Baltic, and Caspian seas often swim into their salty waters. In the upper reaches of rivers, fish are rare; the highest concentration of catfish occurs in large reservoirs and at river mouths.

Appearance of catfish

Catfish have a long, scaleless body, rounded in front and laterally compressed in the back. On the flat and wide head there are small eyes that are located closer to the forehead. The fish's mouth is armed with a large number of small teeth. A characteristic feature of catfish is their long whiskers located on opposite sides of the upper jaw. There are also mustaches on the lower jaw, 2 on each side. The fish has a long anal fin, no adipose fin, and the dorsal fin, located closer to the head, is small and sharp. The pectoral fins are wide and strong. In order to confuse its prey, the catfish creates turbulence in the water with its pectoral fins. The skin of the fish is smooth and slippery.

The color of the fish is not uniform. The back has a very dark shade. Slightly lighter than the sides, they are greenish-brown with lighter areas. The belly has a light gray tint. The color of the fish depends on its habitat. In stagnant waters, the body color of catfish is rich and dark. In running water, the skin of the fish becomes lighter in color.

Catfish is a fairly large fish.

Catfish sizes

Catfish are very large in size. The length can reach 4 meters, weight reaches 180 kg, there are much larger specimens.

However, individuals with maximum weight are extremely rare in nature. For example, in the 19th century there were giant catfish that reached a length of 3 meters and weighed 200-220 kg. There is a story that in the Dnieper, in 1856, a fish of this species was caught, which weighed approximately 400 kg and its length was 5 m.

Nowadays, catfish with a length of 1.3-1.6 m are usually caught. It is a great success and the greatest rarity if you manage to catch a fish more than 2 meters long and weighing 70 kg. Most often you come across specimens 1.5 meters long and weighing 15-20 kg.

In order for a catfish to grow to a decent size, very good living conditions are necessary. Even under ideal conditions, the weight of the fish may not exceed 90 kg, and the length - 2.5 meters. The maximum weight of representatives of the species currently recorded reaches 144 kg with a length of 2.78 meters.

Catfish behavior and nutrition

Catfish do not migrate far from their usual habitat. Feeding and spawning areas are located nearby. Fish prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle, gathering in large schools in cold weather. They huddle in deep holes and stop feeding until spring.

Catfish is a large underwater predator that leads a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. The fish feels comfortable in quiet areas of the reservoir, at the bottom of which there are caves, holes and snags.

Catfish hunt from ambush. Hiding in a secluded place, the fish makes a throw and catches the gaping victim. In shallow water, where young fish are observed, you can see a large school of hunting catfish. They stand against the current, open their mouths and swallow whole schools of small fish.

During the day, catfish prefer to lie down in caves and pits; they go hunting at dusk and at night. Sensitive skin and mustache help detect the victim.

Contrary to the popular belief that catfish are only scavengers, we can say that they eat bottom-dwelling fish species. This could be carp, goby, perch, different types of herring and sturgeon. At an early stage of life, catfish eat crustaceans, frogs, fry, aquatic insects and attack waterfowl and rodents. Catfish also do not disdain carrion.

Reproduction and lifespan

The ability to reproduce occurs after the catfish reaches a size of 50-60 cm and a weight of 2-3 kg. The fish has these parameters in the fifth year of life. Depending on the region where they live, spawning occurs in spring and summer. The required water temperature for this is 17-20 degrees. Under favorable conditions, females of this species lay 2 portions of eggs. For one kilogram of weight, a female can lay up to 30 thousand eggs. In general, the larger and heavier the female, the more eggs there will be. The sizes of the eggs vary from 1.7 to 3 mm.

Before spawning, the female catfish builds a nest at the bottom of a river or lake. Typically, this is a shallow rounded hole covered with aquatic plants. Such a nest is always located in shallow water, at a distance of 50-70 cm from the surface of the water. Sticky eggs are securely glued to the walls of the nest and to the bottom. The development of eggs occurs from 3 to 10 days and throughout this time the nest is guarded by the male.

The eggs first produce larvae. Then, the yolk sac dissolves and the fry appear. Their length is 15 mm. They disperse from the nest and lead an independent life.

Young catfish grow quickly, especially in the rivers of the southern regions. During the first year of its life, the fry grows to 30-40 cm and gains a weight of 300-500 grams. At the age of 10 years, the fish can weigh 15-20 kg and grow up to 1.25 m. However, there is a very high mortality rate of young individuals. Only 5% of the young of this fish species can survive to one year of age. The lifespan of catfish is 30-35 years.

Only young catfish serve as food for people. As a rule, their weight does not exceed 15 kg. Large representatives of this species are very heavy and fatty, so it is not recommended to eat them. You cannot eat catfish caviar, as it is poisonous.

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