The largest catfish in Russia and in the world: weight, size, length. The largest catfish are inhabitants of freshwater reservoirs

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 most big 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 reproduce 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 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, Caspian Sea, 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. Feature catfish - 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 more light color.

Catfish is a fairly large fish.

Catfish sizes

Catfish have very large sizes. 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 conditions for his life. Even if there is 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. It could be carp, goby, perch, different types herring and sturgeon species. On early stage During their lives, 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. At 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 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 spread out from the nest and lead 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.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Catfish are rightfully considered one of the largest river representatives among fish. Under favorable living conditions, these fish can live up to several hundred flax, reach sizes of 4-5 meters and gain weight up to 100-500 kg. The largest representative was caught in Uzbekistan 100 years ago, its weight was 430 kg and its length was as much as 5 m. But there is no official confirmation of this. There is also unconfirmed evidence that the largest catfish was caught in the Dnieper in Ukraine, weighing 288 kg and 4 m tall. Large fish This species is capable of swallowing an adult human at once. Such cases have already happened and were officially recorded. There is an opinion that among these river inhabitants there are cannibals. But this version has not yet been confirmed by anything. The corpses discovered in the bellies of the giants, according to experts, were already dead when they fell into the womb of the river creature. IN Lately The catfish population is shrinking due to environmental conditions and human fishing. But even today there are quite old and large specimens. To prove this, we have compiled a rating - the largest catfish in the world.

10 Som from Belarus

Length 2 m

The top ten largest river representatives are opened by catfish from Belarus. One of the largest catfish was caught in Belarus in 2011. Owner big catch became a local fishing enthusiast. Together with his comrades, the fisherman caught his prey with gear. When the men tried to collect the catch, the gear did not want to be pulled out. It took the fishermen about an hour to pull the large river monster ashore. They decided to immediately measure and weigh the giant. The fish pulled 60 kg, and its length was 2 m. The fishermen did not let go of the catfish and arranged a real fish feast.

9 Som from Spain

Length 2 m

Ninth place goes to the largest catfish from Spain. In 2009, local fishermen caught an albino catfish in the small river Ebro. The body length of the river albino exceeded 2 m, and the weight was 88 kg. Briton Chris from Sheffield managed to catch the rare fish. Trying to reel in the catch, the fisherman realized that he couldn’t cope and called his friends who came with him for help. It took the man more than half an hour to pull the albino ashore. They had a photo shoot with the live catch and released it.

8 Som from Holland

Length 2.3 m

The eighth place goes to the largest Dutch catfish. In Holland, the Centerparcs recreation park is very popular, as one of the largest catfish in the world lives in the reservoir on its territory. The body of the fish is 2.3 m in length. The river creature received the nickname “Big Momma”. According to park security, she loves to eat ducks and eats at least 3 swimming birds every day. Catfish is under state protection.

7 Som from Italy

Length 2.5 m

In seventh place is the largest catfish caught in Italy. At the beginning of 2011, one of the largest catfish in the world was caught by Italian Robert Godi. The fish was 2.5 m long and weighed 114 kg. The experienced fisherman admitted that this was the first time in his entire life that he had come across such a giant fish. To pull the prey ashore, Robert needed the help of six people, who took about an hour to get the catfish. Robert says that on this day he went out with other fishermen to catch bream. No one expected that the hunt would end with the capture of a living colossus. The fish was weighed, measured and released to continue swimming.

6 Som from France

Length 2.6 m

The sixth place is occupied by the largest catfish from France. One of the largest catfish in the world was caught by tourist Yuri Grisendi in the Rhone River. The giant's weight was 120 kg, and his body length was 2.6 m. Hunting for big fish is a man's hobby. Each time he tries to beat his previous record. The tourist films the large fish he catches and releases them.

5 Som from Kazakhstan

Length 2.7 m

The fifth place is occupied by a river representative from Kazakhstan. In 2007, on the Ili River, local fishermen caught the largest catfish weighing 130 kg and 2.7 m long. This is the largest fish that local residents have ever seen.

4 Som from Thailand

Length 2.7 m

The fourth place goes to the largest catfish from Thailand. In May 2005, one of the largest catfish was caught on the Mekong River, weighing 293 kg. Its length was about 2.7 m. These parameters were recorded by the head of the international research project WWF by Zeb Hogan. This year he was researching the largest fish in the world. The albino catfish he caught was the largest freshwater fish noted in his work. This giant was able to get into the Guinness Book of Records. They were going to put him under the supervision of the environmental service and release him, but, unfortunately, the catfish died.

3 Som from Russia

Length 3 m

The honorable top three is opened by the largest catfish caught in Russia several years ago. In 2009, fishermen caught one of the largest catfish from the Seim River in the Kursk region. The weight of the recovered colossus exceeded 200 kg, and the length of the fish was about 3 m. This was witnessed by employees of the Kursk fisheries inspection, who confirmed the fact of the caught catfish. Quite by accident, the fishermen were lucky enough to discover the monster. One of the men managed to shoot and harpoon the giant. Several men tried to pull out the huge fish on their own. But soon the hunters realized that they couldn’t cope and decided to come to the aid of a farm tractor. When the fishy beast was pulled ashore, everyone gasped in surprise: many had seen huge catfish here, but this was the first time the villagers had seen such a giant.

2 Som from Poland

Length 4 m

The second place is occupied by the largest catfish in Poland. One of the largest catfish in the world was caught by Polish fishermen on the Oder River. The giant's age was more than 100 years. The size of the river creature was slightly more than 4 m, and its body weight was 200 kg. Imagine the surprise of the fishermen when they discovered the corpse of a Nazi officer in the belly of the catfish. The men rushed to inform the police about this fact. Experts who arrived at the site of the discovery conducted an investigation and concluded that the fish swallowed the officer when he was already dead. And again, rumors about the cannibalism of these river monsters were not confirmed.

1 Som from Russia

Length 4 m

First place goes to the largest catfish from Russia. According to some reports, this giant was caught at the end of the 19th century. Its length exceeded 4 m, and it weighed about 347 kg. Such a find was caught in Lake Issyk-Kul. There is an opinion that in honor of the capture huge fish in this place an arch was erected in the shape of giant catfish jaws.

It is not without reason that the catfish is called the master of the river, because there is no other fish larger than it. One could mention the beluga, but as is known, it rises from the sea only to spawn and is migratory.

Ichthyology

Catfish fish, a member of the catfish family, is the largest freshwater predator. It has a long, scaleless body covered with mucus, about half of which is a flattened tail.

The predator’s head is blunt with a huge mouth, on the sides of which grow two large long whiskers, which the fish moves when navigating in the reservoir. Four smaller whiskers are located on the bottom of the jaw, with which the common catfish probes the river bottom.

The color of the catfish's body varies from grayish-green to brown, its ventral part is white with sparse spots. There are specimens of black and yellow flowers, and there are also albino catfish.

Records

Directories, including Wikipedia, give the following maximum dimensions this predator:

length – 5 meters;
weight – 400-500 kilograms.

The official world record was recorded in Thailand.

The largest catfish in the world, caught in the Mekong River on May 1, 2009, weighed 293 kilograms with a length of 2.7 meters.

The largest common catfish was caught and released back into the Ebro River by fisherman Robert Godey. The European record was 114 kilograms with a height of two and a half meters.

Below we present unofficial records for the rivers, the largest catfish in which they pulled:

in the Dnieper - by 288 kilos;
in the Dniester – 320;
in Oder - 400.

Habitats

The common catfish likes to hide in deep-water holes in rivers and reservoirs, and also uses various obstacles for camping and ambush hunting. Thus, it is preferable to look for this predator in the following places:

Behind the supports of bridges and other hydraulic structures. Usually, when they are erected nearby, quite deep holes are formed.
Depressions of the river bottom behind the rifts and near steep yars. The presence of aquatic vegetation or fallen trees and snags in such places is especially good for catfish.
Submerged buildings and vessels: ships or barges.
Under islands of vegetation, catfish find shelter from the sun.
Pits at the confluence of two rivers.

For the winter, catfish descend into wintering pits and lie there practically motionless, side by side, and sometimes even in several tiers.

Nutrition

Speaking about what catfish eat, one cannot help but mention a common misconception. Many people quite consciously believe that carrion is the main food of this predator. This is far from the case, and the river owner will eat food that begins to spoil only when he is starving.

The main food of a nocturnal predator is as follows:

shellfish;
worms;
insect larvae;
frogs;
fish;
molting crayfish;
waterfowl;
small animals.

Catfish, when hungry, are a very dangerous predator.

They say that he is able to drag a deer under water. There are stories about killer fish that have attacked humans.

There are rumors that a missing ship with a hole in the side was found near the island of Khortitsa, on the Dnieper River. IN big hole a huge five-meter-long killer cat was stuck. After an autopsy, the remains of three people were found in his stomach, presumably Polish tourists escaping from a ship in distress.

In a Dutch holiday park there is a lake in which a giant catfish, more than two meters long, lives. According to the servants, it feeds exclusively on ducks that nest here. Its usual daily diet is 2-3 birds.

Somas are active mainly in dark time days, in the evening predators rise from their daytime shelters and feed until approximately midnight.

Age and reproduction

The catfish lives for quite a long time; online data on its lifespan varies: somewhere it is stated that the maximum age is limited to 35 years, other sources claim that there are hundred-year-old individuals.

Tables of correspondence between the age of a catfish and its size are also interesting. Thus, sexual maturity of the predator occurs at the age of three to four years, when its weight reaches two and a half to five kilograms. And giants reach the hundred-kilogram mark when their age exceeds a quarter of a century.

Spawning of catfish begins at a water temperature of 15-18 degrees, in middle lane this is mid to late May. First, catfish rise from their wintering holes and move upstream in search of spawning grounds. As a place for spawning, catfish choose deep channels with snags or thickets of grass. If there is enough depth, then predators can conduct their mating games in flooded meadows. In addition, catfish can spawn in oxbow rivers or coastal pools.

The spawning of catfish is accompanied by violent games with noisy splashes, hitting the water and similar behavior.

Each female has two or three males competing for her, but she ultimately chooses a single male. From this time on, they are not separated until the end of the spawn. After breaking into pairs, the male and female retire to a secluded place, and there they continue their love games: they wrap their bodies around each other, rub, and eventually begin directly to reproduce.

At the laying site, the female digs a small hole and lays eggs there. Often this process occurs in portions, during which the expectant mother rises to the surface of the water several times and descends back. After the end of oviposition, the male waters it with milk and both parents remain in place to guard the nest. Here we have an example of a sensitive parental attitude towards offspring, which is so rarely observed in the fish kingdom.

Young catfish hatch within a week under favorable conditions, then their parents leave them. At first, the young stay in a flock, but after a couple of weeks, they disperse throughout the reservoir. At first, the fry feed on plankton, worms and mollusks; after a month, having reached a weight of 150-200 grams, they switch to feeding on fish and frogs.