When we talk about fish, we usually mean their taste, not size. However, the largest fish in the world are so large that they can swallow tallest man on earth, and there will still be room for a snack. Don't believe me? And we will prove it.
10. Giant sunfish - 3 meters long
This fish, belonging to the species of moonfish, was found very recently, in 2014. And therefore, little is known about her lifestyle. It is only clear that this is one of the largest fish in the world. And the heaviest, because it weighs up to 2 tons, which is comparable to the weight of an adult elephant.
Mola tecta, as scientists called it, is the first new sunfish species discovered in 130 years.
9. Ordinary sharp-tailed moonfish - 3.4 m
For the inhabitants of Korea, Japan and Taiwan, this sea giant is a delicious delicacy. In honor of the sharp-tailed moonfish, Taiwan even hosts large-scale food festivals that attract hundreds of tourists. It is unlikely that the fish itself is happy about this, but who asks the opinion of the food?
Due to the characteristic shape of the fins, this good-natured and clumsy fish is sometimes confused with a shark. But it is difficult to confuse the pointed-tailed moonfish with others, because of the special shape of the tail. It has the form of a pointed projection.
8. Beluga - 4.2 m
The largest freshwater fish can “roar like a beluga” because it is under threat of extinction. The habitat of the beluga is limited to the Black, Caspian and Azov seas. People intensively exploit this species to obtain black caviar - a very expensive and rare delicacy.
The unregulated fishing of this species and poaching have significantly reduced the beluga population, which has led to an urgent need to protect it from commercial exploitation.
By the way, the expression “beluga roar” is actually associated with another predatory fish - the toothed beluga whale.
According to unconfirmed information, belugas can grow much larger than 4 or even 5 meters. The largest specimen allegedly reached 9 meters.
7. Atlantic blue marlin - 5 m
This giant, living in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, has practically no natural enemies. And he would have multiplied and multiplied without hindrance, if not for the most terrible predator on Earth - man. For humans, blue marlin is just prey. In one of the best countries for fishing - Cuba - there is even a fishing tournament named after Ernest Hemingway. And he is dedicated precisely to catching blue marlin, which the famous writer loved to do during his lifetime.
6. Reef manta ray - 5.5 meters wide
It is one of the largest fish living in the modern world. This type of stingray, also known as Manta alfredi, is usually found in tropical and subtropical sea waters, but is absent in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic.
The fish can weigh up to 1.4 tons, and its huge pectoral fins, together with the body, form a disk that reaches a width of 5.5 m.At the same time, the body length of the manta is about 2.4 times less than the width
First of all, Manta alfredi consumes zooplankton and does not pose a danger to humans. Earlier there were rumors that such a large stingray could swallow a person or crush him, “embracing” him with his fins.
5. Great white shark - 6.4 m
It is impossible to accurately measure the length of the great white shark, as there are few people willing to get close to this living tape measure killing machine. According to unconfirmed information, the length of the great white shark can reach 10 meters, but the recorded record is 6.4 meters.
It may not be the largest fish in the world, but it is certainly the most dangerous. Most shark-related attacks on humans are caused by the great white shark. Most often, it intersects with people in coastal waters. By the way, the famous film by Steven Spielberg "Jaws" is just about a giant man-eating white shark.
Of course, in real life, people are not a favorite treat of great white sharks, but unprovoked attacks by this dangerous predator on swimmers and fishermen are quite common.
The great white shark is the most feared predator in its ecosystem, although killer whales compete with them, and sometimes even kill due to teamwork and speed of action. It's a shame that killer whales are not fish, but mammals, otherwise they would have taken their rightful place on our list of the largest fish in the world. The video clearly shows the differences between the great white shark and the killer whale.
4. Saw-snout slope - 7 m
These little-studied cartilaginous fish reach enormous sizes. However, most of their length consists of long sawtooth noses.
In appearance, the saw-nosed ray resembles a saw-nosed shark. However, the latter could well call the stingrays "fry" and argue on the theme that "it was better before." This is because sawnose sharks appeared much earlier than sawnose rays - even at the border of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, while sawnose rays appeared 60 million years later.
These fish are big fans of fishing in troubled waters, and in the literal sense. Saw rays spend most of their lives at the bottom, not interested in what is happening on the surface. And if young individuals prefer shallow water, then adult sawnose rays sink to a depth of 40 meters or more.
3. Giant shark - 9.8 m
The third largest fish in the world. In the photo, it looks menacing, but in fact it is a harmless creature whose diet consists of plankton. The giant shark feeds on the surface of the water, as if basking in the sun, hence its second name - "sun fish".
Years of intensive commercial use for food, the extraction of shark liver oil and shark fin and many other factors have severely reduced the population of this species.
2. Herring king - 11 m
Move over, stingrays and sharks, in front of you is a fish king along its body length. The largest specimens caught in length reached 7 and 11 meters. The herring king even made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the longest living bony fish.
However, the fish got its name from Norwegian fishermen not because of its body length, but because it was caught in shoals of herring and the presence of a "crown" on its head, consisting of the elongated first rays of the dorsal fin.
1. Whale shark - 20 m
Here is the answer to two questions at once: which is the largest fish and which the biggest shark in the world? The whale shark weighs up to 21.5 tons and is the largest living fish species.
The whale shark is found in the open waters of warm tropical seas. These fish can live up to 70 years. Despite its size, this creature rarely poses a threat to humans and feeds mainly on plankton. The whale shark is designated endangered by the IUCN.
And if a photo of the largest fish in the world cannot show you the true gigantic dimensions of a whale shark in comparison with a person, then let the video do it.