Giant Stingray Could be World’s Largest

In central Thailand an enormous freshwater stingray was captured, tagged and released during a National Geographic expedition.

Dr. Zeb Hogan, a biologist from the University of Nevada, Reno helped tag and release the animal. It was estimated to be somewhere between 550 and 770 lbs, but was never officially weighed.

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Hogan stated he has seen one other freshwater stingray that was larger in surface area, but not as heavy. The world record for largest freshwater fish is 646 lbs. for a Mekong catfish, which was also caught in Thailand. The stingray  was tagged with an electronic device which emits signals researchers can track with listening instruments. The species is considered to be threatened because of habitat loss.

Research on freshwater stingrays is being conducted jointly between the University of Nevada, Reno, the Thai Fisheries Department, a sport fishing company, and the National Geographic Society.

You can see more images of the stingray at National Geographic.

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Image Credit: Zeb Hogan, University of Nevada, Reno

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