The largest fish that live in fresh water, which reach more than a meter in length, look very large. However, among freshwater fish there are various species whose length and weight are so large that it is difficult to even imagine.

Of course, the inhabitants of the deep sea have even larger shapes and sizes, but we will talk about them in another article.

Fishermen should be very careful, especially when fishing in unfamiliar bodies of water. It is not known what size catfish, pike or perch can grow in the waters of an unvisited lake. It may happen that you yourself become the prey of a two-meter pike. 🙂

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the ranking of the 10 largest species of freshwater fish found on our planet.

10th place - Carp

Carp - a large omnivorous fish that lives in freshwater bodies with stagnant water and a muddy bottom. The body is covered with large scales and has a golden hue. Very picky fish for food, able to eat almost all day. Carps feeds on young shoots of reeds and other aquatic plants, as well as molluscs, aquatic insects and even the eggs of other fish and frogs. Due to the small average size of this fish, it ranks last among the ten largest freshwater fish in the world. The largest carp was caught in Hungary, Euro Aqua in the lake his weight reached as much as 51.7 kg kilograms.

9th place - Paddlenose (Polyodon Spathula)

Paddle nose (Polyodon Spathula) is a large freshwater fish that lives in bodies of water in the eastern United States, especially in rivers draining into the Gulf of Mexico. Most common in Mississippi and associated lakes. It reaches an average length of 221 cm and weighs 90.7 kg. They live long, up to 55 years. The largest fish in this freshwater are the only species of sturgeon that feed on zooplankton, phytoplankton, as well as the remains (detritus) and excrement of invertebrates.

8th place - Siberian salmon (Hucho taimen)

Siberian salmon (Hucho taimen) - a species of predatory freshwater fish belonging to to the salmonid family. These largest fish live in the fast and cold waters of Siberia, Altai and the Far East. It is not for nothing that it is considered the largest salmon in the world: such a fish can be over 1 m long and weigh 50-60 kg. This fish is not capricious in its choice of food, it eats all kinds of smaller fish. Life expectancy is significantly longer than others salmon. As a result, the fish can grow to a larger than average size. The world's largest Siberian salmon was caught in the Krasnoyarsk region near the Kotui River in 1943. The weight of this fish was 105 kg, and the length was 210 cm. Official IGFA the world record is 45.80 kg and the length is 150 cm.

7th place - alligator fish (Lepisosteus osseus)

Caimanfish (Lepisosteus osseus) - Lives 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 oldest, the ancestors of this species lived on Earth more than 100 million years ago. It got its name because of its truly terrifying appearance: its long body is covered with thick, shell-like scales, and its sharp snout has powerful jaws with four rows of teeth. Caimanfish can reach 3 m in length and weigh up to 136 kg. It mainly feeds on small fish, but can also attack humans.

6th place - Nile perch (Lates niloticus)

Nile perch (Lates niloticus) - is the largest freshwater fish in the world from Perciformes tribe. Found in African water bodies (Nile, Senegal, Congo, etc.). We are used to catching palm bass and larger, but this species grows up to 2 m in length and weighs up to 200 kg. The average length of an African freshwater perch will reach 120-140 cm. The fish is silver in color with a blue tint. Feeds on smaller fish, insects, crayfish.

5th place - Arapaima (Arapaima gigas)

Arapaima (Arapaima gigas) - the largest tropical freshwater fish from the Aravan family. Common in South American lakes and rivers. The body of this fish is greenish in front, smoothly transitions to red in the tail, and the scales are incredibly durable. For reliable protection, arapaima live together with such ferocious predators as piranhas. It mainly feeds on fish, sometimes on birds and small animals. The average length is 2 meters, but there are individuals up to 3 meters long and weighing 200 kg.

4th place - Big pangasius (Pangasianodon gigas)

Giant pangasius (Pangasianodon gigas) – Rayfin fish of the pangasius catfish family. Lives in the rivers of Thailand: Mekong and Tonle Sap. The largest specimen was 2.7 m long and weighed 293 kg. These freshwater fish feed on phytoplankton and algae, as well as small fish. Due to overfishing, there is a possibility that this species will disappear completely. According to some data, its population has decreased by 80% in the last 14 years.

3rd place - common catfish (Silurus glanis)

Common catfish (Silurus glanis) is a bottom-dwelling fish without scales that lives in deep fresh waters of lakes and rivers in Europe and Asia. This fish is a real giant among aquatic creatures. With a large depth in the water body and enough food, it can grow up to 5 m in length and weigh up to 400 kg. There is no official confirmation, but there are many eyewitness accounts. Catfish - a predatory fish with an aggressive character, which lives in fresh water, as well as in places where people bathe. There is official evidence that two-meter catfish have attacked humans. The world record was set in Ukraine in 1918. The weight is 256.70 kg and the length was 335 cm.

2nd place - White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

The white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is the third largest in the sturgeon family. It lives in the fresh waters of North America and is considered the greatest cultural heritage of British Columbia. Sturgeon likes to live in calm coastal waters and can grow up to 6 m in length and 816 kg in weight. The fish is very aggressive, with a characteristic gray color with white spots. Sturgeons live very long, longer than humans, up to 100-110 years, they can reproduce only from 14 years (males) and 18 years (females). Feeds on molluscs, crustaceans, worms and fish. The world record was set in America in 1898. Weight ~ 680.50 kg and length was ~ 610 cm.

1st place - Beluga (Big sturgeon) (Huso huso)

Beluga (Big sturgeon) - a large freshwater fish from the sturgeon family lives in the basins of the Caspian, Black and Azov seas. This fish grows up to 4-5 meters in length and weighs up to one and a half tons. According to unconfirmed data, there were fish up to 9 m long and weighing up to 2 tons. That is why the beluga is the largest fish in the world. Feeds on various types of fish and crustaceans. Beluga is a valuable commercial fish because it contains the world's most expensive roe, the black roe. The price of a kilogram of black caviar in Europe can exceed 7,000 euros. Beluga is included in the Red Book.