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THAILAND — An enormous stingray recently caught in Thailand may break the record as the largest recorded freshwater fish in the world.
The stingray was caught and released March 6 in Thailand’s Mae Klong River, according to USA Today. It was caught by ABC’s “Ocean Mysteries” host Jeff Corwin and Nantarika Chansue, a veterinarian and professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. It took them and several other scientists more than two hours to reel in the stingray, USA Today said.
The stingray was 7.9 feet wide, 14 feet long and weighed an estimated 700-800 pounds, according to the National Geographic. The stingray was pregnant with two fetal rays and had previously been caught and tagged by Chansue in 2009. Records show the stingray was also pregnant when it was previously caught.
potential world record freshwater fish, giant stingray, 14ft X 8ft! in Thailand filming for ABC's Ocean Mysteries pic.twitter.com/BpBu1zE1Cb — Jeff Corwin (@iamjeffcorwin) March 12, 2015
In 2009, the ray was 6.5 feet wide and 15 feet long and Chansue said her tail had since been shortened by some kind of accident, the National Geographic said. The stingray also had some bites that scientists believe may have come from a male ray.
The giant freshwater stingray has the longest spine of any species of ray, up to 15 inches, and carries powerful venom, the National Geographic said. The animal uses its spine for defense and it can be lethal, but injuries to people are quite rare.
The Mekong giant catfish is the current world record for the largest freshwater fish, according to Guinness World Records. The Mekong giant catfish is known to grow up to 9 feet and 660 pounds.
