They are native to the Mekong river and live on algae and plankton, they do not have any teeth but have rough pads in their mouths instead. The Mekong giant catfish, Latin name Pangasianodon gigas or in Thai ปลาบึก (plaa buek) is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. “The Siamese flat-barbelled catfish, which was present in the region, was declared extinct in 2013.

So even though a 736-pound Mekong Giant Catfish might … In 2010, populations of the Mekong giant catfish had dropped 90% in the last decade.

It was especially populous in the Southern half of the river, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The Mekong Giant Catfish ( Pangasianodon gigas ; Thai: ปลาบึก) is a species of Catfish that dwells in Southeast Asia.

Mekong giant catfish, the world’s largest scaleless freshwater fish, have very low-set eyes and are silvery dark grey.

The largest recorded individual weighed 646 pounds, making it debatably the largest freshwater fish, rivaled only by the Arapaima and Piraiba, both known to grow to around 450 pounds, and some species of Sturgeon and Paddlefish and well as the Bull Shark, which some will argue are not … The catfish weighed in at 736 lbs. They swim in freshwater and to spawn it swims very far away. The giant catfish of Mekong river is a critically endangered species and biggest freshwater fish in the world. One of the largest fish in the world, the Mekong giant catfish grows to 10 feet and 650 pounds.

Today its populations are in decline due to over-fishing and loss of habitat from damming of tributaries and destruction of breeding and spawning grounds.

In particular, the Greater Mekong region is rich in endemic species, including the saola, one of the world’s rarest mammals. If you see a Mekong Giant Catfish, Giant Barb, Dog-Eating Catfish, or Giant Freshwater Stingray for sale in Vietnam, contact Education for Nature-Vietnam: English speaking toll-free hotline number (within Vietnam) 1-800-1522. Mekong giant catfish grow continuously given ample food and space. Despite its size, it is a gentle giant that survives on a diet of plant matter and algae.

Species.
Mekong Giant Catfish, also known as Thailand Giant Catfish, is the largest fresh water catfish in the world. The Mekong giant catfish used to be found all over the river from Vietnam to Southern China. In 2005, a colossal 9-foot (2.7m), 645-pound (293kg), car-sized specimen was caught in northern Thailand and was recorded as the largest freshwater catch.

The Mekong Giant Catfish can be found in the Mekong river or other parts of southeast Asia. It is said that they spawn in the upstream of Chiang Khong, Thailand. Mekong giant catfish captured at the dais, or floating bagnets, in the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia. Originally the fish had a natural range that reached from the lower Mekong in Vietnam all the way to the northern reaches of the river in the Yunnan province of China, spanning almost the entire 4,800 km length of the river. They are the largest freshwater fish. The critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, such as this one on a fisherman's boat, is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. The Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) is ranked as critically endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Though abundant in the early 1900s, their population in the wild has decreased by more than 80 percent since 1990.

Juveniles wear the characteristic catfish whiskers, called barbules, but these features shrink as they age. Wels Catfish The wels catfish is the largest true freshwater fish in Europe and also captured by Jermy Wade in River Monster .

National Geographic notes that Mekong Giant Catfish can weigh up to 650 pounds. Experts say the fish, a Mekong giant catfish, was around 170 years old and never seen in this part of the world. The region is home to numerous endangered species, including the Indochinese tiger, the Asian elephant, the Irrawaddy dolphin, and the Mekong giant catfish. *Marc Goichot is the Water Program Lead at WWF-Greater Mekong. Mekong giant catfish is endemic to the middle and lower basin region of Mekong. 12975). Experts say the fish, a Mekong giant catfish, was around 170 years old and never seen in this part of the world.

Pangasianodon is a genus of large to very large shark catfishes native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya Rivers in Southeast Asia and adjacent China.. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.