A 42-year-old fisherman, Moul Thun, from Koah Preah, discovered a giant stingray as it got hooked to the end of his line. However, what he didn’t know at the time was that it would turn out to be one of the largest freshwaters to be found. All of this happened in Northern Cambodia, near a remote island.
Here is everything you need to know about this discovery.
The Discovery Of The Sting Ray
Zeb Hogan has been documenting large freshwater fish for at least twenty years now. However, the discovery of this stingray was hopeful for him because it emphasized that there are underwater sea creatures in danger that still exist. Hogan is at the University of Nevada and works as a fish biologist along with being an explorer for National Geographic.
Hogan has been trying to find big fish for a long time now. The first time he found a big fish was when some fishermen in Thailand pulled an almost 650-pound catfish from the Mekong River. After this, Hogan began to wonder if there are other large river giants that exist in various places.
The Quest For Finding Large Fish
Hogan didn’t stop there, and he was determined to find large fish. That is why he began scouring every watershed he could around the world. Of course, that would be easier as he was also the host of Monster Fish on National Geographic.
The answer didn’t come easily because there were many fishermen that exaggerated their tales. Besides that, there was a lack of scientific information, logistical issues, and evidence that one couldn’t verify easily. During this time, he did not find any fish that were larger than what he found in the Mekong River.
Of course, all of that changed when Moul Thun found the giant stingray. Let’s understand more about this fish.
The Characteristics Of The Giant Stingray
When the team arrived at Koah Preah, they determined different characteristics of the fish. It was a female, and she was in good health. It is the species that usually occurs in the Mekong River.
The fish was thirteen feet from the snout to the tail. However, the weight of this stingray was the most astonishing part, as she weight at least 661 pounds, which set a new world record for the largest fish to be caught. This milestone got a certification from the Guinness World Record on June 24.
The aim of Hogan’s project is not to create milestones for the largest fish caught. Instead, the aim is to protect these amazing animals that have been going out of existence because of our deeds. We hope he becomes successful in this aim.
Final Words
That was your complete guide to the discovery of the world’s largest stingray to be found in a river. If you’re ever near the Mekong River, be sure to be on the lookout for large fish. After all, you never know what you might come into contact with, as there could be anything lurking underwater.