A fisherman has caught the world’s largest freshwater fish ever in Cambodia’s Mekong River. The animal is a giant freshwater stingray that measures nearly four meters in length and weighs nearly 300 kilograms, according to the US-Cambodian research project “Wonders of the Mekong.” The female was captured in the northeast of the country on June 13.
The previous record was held by a 293 kilogram Mekong giant catfish caught in northern Thailand in 2005. The latest find left the Wonders of the Mekong team speechless, National Geographic magazine quoted as head of the research project, Zeb Hogan. The University of Nevada expert has been documenting large freshwater fish for nearly two decades. The capture gives new hope, he stressed: “It proves that these critically endangered underwater giants still exist.”
Animal equipped with a tracking device
Unlike the giant catfish in Thailand, the giant ray was not killed and eaten, but released back into the wild equipped with an acoustic tracking device. “When the stingray passes through our network of 36 receivers, we can collect data on its migration and behavior for the first time,” it said.
The fish was named “Boramy,” meaning “full moon” in Khmer — because its body shape is not only round, but was also released back into the Mekong during the recent full moon. Incidentally, in Cambodia the term is also used for beautiful women.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
