The largest freshwater predator. The largest fish in the world. Moray eels, barracudas, stingrays. Dangerous inhabitants of the deep sea

Predatory fish are those fish that eat other fish, sometimes frogs, mice, as well as other animals and birds. Predatory fish have a very large mouth and are armed with numerous sharp teeth. The category of such fish primarily includes pike, pike perch, burbot, perch, catfish, and eel.

Pike. In the reservoirs of Belarus, pike (Fig. 10) is widespread. But not everyone knows what size it can reach. Pike are sometimes taller than human height and weigh up to 60 kg. The maximum size of pike is 1.5 m, weight is 30-35 kg. She reaches sexual maturity at the age of 2-4 years. The lifespan of this fish is interpreted in different ways. The maximum age of pike is 33 years (V.D. Lebedev, 1960). She is so predatory that she attacks everything, even her relatives. Pike is very strong, agile and tireless. There are cases when a pike attacked another pike, almost the same size as itself. Sometimes you can watch a female pike in artificial pond(spawning ground) after the completion of the “marriage ceremony” (spawning) and the birth of the offspring, he immediately “deals” with his “beloved”, especially since the males placed for spawning are much smaller in size than the females.

However, for all its greed, the pike shows a certain pickiness. She prefers carp fish, bleak, roach, rudd, and crucian carp. Be very wary of spiny fish: ruff and perch. If a pike catches such a fish, it does not swallow it immediately, but holds it in its teeth until it stops moving.

Pike grows very quickly. In pond farms in Belarus, pike fry, planted in ponds for joint cultivation with carp, with a sufficient amount of food in the form of trash fish, reach a weight of 350-400 g and 30-40 cm in length in one summer. In terms of growth rate, it occupies one of the first places among lake fish species spawning in spring.

However, pike is not limited to just fish. She eats frogs, attacks ducks and others waterfowl. Pike does not disdain water rats, mice, shrews, squirrels and other small animals that swim across the pond. No wonder it is called the “thunderstorm” of the reservoir. Sometimes there is an opinion that pike, as a predator, causes great harm to fish stocks. This view is based on an incorrect assessment of the importance of any predator in nature in general and pike in particular, on exaggerated concepts of the number of fish it destroys.

Pike is a regulator of the fish population: by eating small things of little value, sick and weak fish, it thereby enables larger and healthier fish to grow faster and produce healthier offspring.

Pike is not a schooling fish. Both in rivers and lakes it stays in places with a moderate current, not very deep, grassy, ​​snags near the banks. Pike is a completely sedentary fish and only in the spring, before spawning, does it rise up the river, and by winter it goes into the pools. She eats a lot, but digests food very slowly.

The body color of the pike camouflages it well among overgrown vegetation. The pike usually attacks its prey from an ambush with a swift but short throw. However, she very rarely misses. Having missed, it usually does not repeat the attack, but returns to ambush to wait for another victim. The pike most often grabs its prey crosswise, but always swallows it from the head, unfolding it in its mouth with the movement of its jaws. Moreover, he does this on the move, without stopping in place after the throw. Catching it with self-catching gear is based on this habit.

Pike can be found in all reservoirs of the republic. In Belarus, they are artificially rearing pike in ponds together with carp. The pike catch in natural reservoirs is 3.5 thousand centners per year.

Zander is a large predatory fish, reaching a length of up to 1 m or more, weighing up to 10, and some specimens up to 20 kg (Fig. 11). It is found mainly in large rivers and lakes connected to them. Pike perch lives up to 15 years (V.D. Lebedev, 1960). Sexual maturity occurs at 4-5 years.

Not much pike perch is caught in the waters of Belarus. It mainly lives in rivers such as the Dnieper, Pripyat, Goryn and Sozh, as well as in lakes located in the north of the republic (Vitebsk and Minsk regions).

To preserve the size of the pike perch herd, catch it in industrial purposes strictly limited for each reservoir separately. Stocking is carried out annually certain group lakes with grown-up juvenile pike perch.

Pike perch is a warm water fish. Grows best at a temperature of 15-18°. Does not tolerate lack of oxygen well. Under favorable conditions, its young grow quickly. Within 2 years, pike perch can reach a weight of 1 kg or more. By nature of feeding, pike perch is a carnivorous fish. During the first period, its young feed mainly on zooplankton and partly on insect larvae and fish fry; later they switch to feeding on small fish, and in our conditions - bleak, verkhovka, small roach, etc. The pike perch is not able to capture large fish due to the small the size of the mouth and pharynx.

Pike perch lives at different depths, depending on the location of its main food and temperature conditions during certain periods of the year. Unlike pike, it actively hunts for its prey and avoids areas with thickets, since here it itself can become food for the pike. It spawns at a temperature of about 15° in April - June, depending on climatic conditions district.

Pike perch is a schooling fish. It lives in deep snags, littered holes, quarries, ditches, old river beds, etc. However, the habitat of pike perch is not permanent. Where it was caught well the day before, it may not be there the next day.

The catch of pike perch in the republic's water bodies does not exceed 400 quintals per year.

Burbot- This is the only representative of the cod family that lives in fresh water. Burbot (Fig. 12) has a peculiar body shape, sharply different from other fish. It has a flattened head, the body towards the tail part on the sides is strongly compressed and elongated. The skin is dense, protected by delicate, small scales. It has two dorsal fins: the first is short, the second is long, the anal fin is of the same length. Burbot has a grayish-green back color with dark spots and stripes. The belly is sharply defined and has a whitish tint. The body is slippery; the burbot has one barbel on its chin.

The way of life of burbot is also peculiar. He does not like sunlight, dozes during the day and goes hunting at night. Burbot is an extremely greedy and insatiable predator. It eats other fish more than pike.

The number of burbot in the waters of Belarus is relatively small. Its main habitats are rivers, as well as lakes of the Braslav, Polotsk and Naroch groups. Burbot reaches a length of 1 m and a weight of up to 5 kg, although there are individual individuals weighing up to 24 kg. In our reservoirs, the weight of burbot reaches from 1 to 2 kg. Reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years. Very prolific. There are females that lay up to 3 million eggs. Spawns in January, when reservoirs are covered with a thick layer of ice. Burbot lives up to 22 years. Likes it cold clean water and is extremely susceptible to contamination. IN summer months when the water gets very hot, it goes into deep pools, dark places, hides in holes, under snags, stones. Becomes inactive. In hot weather, burbot does not feed. If a parking spot is discovered at this time, it can easily be caught with your hands.

Burbot is a bottom fish and, despite being lazy and sluggish, appearance, swims very quickly and deftly. Adult burbot feeds on fish: most of all minnows, ruffes and small perches, and does not neglect its own young. Sometimes, during autopsy, over 40 perch weighing 3-5 g were found in the stomach of a burbot weighing up to 1.2 kg. Burbot produces especially severe devastation in winter, when its appetite increases, and other fish are more sleepy and lethargic than in summer. In recent years, it has been rarely found in catches.

Perch - typical representative lakes and rivers (Fig. 13). Like pike, it is most widely distributed in the waters of Belarus. Average duration The life of a perch is 17 years. Sexual maturity occurs at 4-5 years. There is evidence that perch reaches a size of up to half a meter and a weight of 2 to 5 kg.

In its predatory greed, perch is not inferior to pike. Unusually gluttonous. If there is a rich prey in front of him, he, having barely swallowed one fish, immediately after it swallows the second, etc., so that often the caught fry, not fitting in his stomach, stick out of his mouth. The perch sits in ambush for a long time, from where it rushes at prey or chases small fish. Perch will eat any fish, as long as it is the right size. Perches do not give mercy to their own offspring. They do not stop feeding either in autumn or winter. The favorite food of perch is caviar. valuable species fish

In winter, when reservoirs are covered with a thick layer of ice, perch does not stop its predatory lifestyle, destroying baby fish. It is especially voracious after spawning. Spawns shortly after pike. At this time, a good time begins for fishing enthusiasts. Perch prefers cool water and does not like to swim near the surface of the water, but when schools of small fish appear there, which it hunts, it immediately rises from the depths. However, he does not live at the very bottom, but stays not far from it. The perch swims actively during the day, and after sunset it stops moving and seems to doze off. Doesn't handle heat very well. At this time, he hides in shady places or plants, and then continues hunting. Perch catches amount to 3-4 thousand centners per year.

Som- one of the largest freshwater predatory fish (Fig. 14). Reaches sizes up to 5 m in length, and sometimes weighs over 300 kg. Such giants, scientists believe, are usually 80-100 years old (V.A. Movchan, 1966).

Catfish does not disdain anything when it comes to nutrition. Eats mollusks, frogs, even large fish. Ducks, geese, water rats and other birds and animals that swim in the catfish’s habitat often end up in the catfish’s mouth.

Catfish spawn in spring or early summer, in clean and quiet water on “nests”. The female uses her pectoral fins to dig a nest in the ground in the form of a hole, into which she lays eggs. The number of eggs reaches 130 thousand. Females lay eggs at the age of 4-5 years at a water temperature of 18-20°.

Catfish belong to the group caring parents. After spawning, the fertilized eggs are protected in “nests”.

In the fall, catfish go to winter, often lying down in pits in quite large groups, burying their heads in the silt.

Catfish are caught with hooks, cast nets, and fishing traps.

Catfish is a strong fish. Experienced fishermen say: if you catch a catfish on a fishing rod, it’s not so easy to pull it out. Fighting him at the very beginning promises many surprises. It happens that it is not the fisherman who catches the catfish, but the catfish that leads the fisherman along with the boat. Feeling the resistance of the tackle, he tries to overcome it with a rapid movement in a straight line. There is no point in holding him back at this moment. You should release 20-30 cm of line, sometimes more, avoiding fighting at a short distance. The further the predator goes from the shore, the more tired it becomes and the more realistic the angler’s chances of winning. In the process of fishing, the catfish gets tired and lies on the bottom. Then it's easy to take.

Catfish meat is tasty, contains a lot of fat and few bones. Catfish can be bred in special ponds where there is a lot of low-value fish. By eating it, it grows relatively quickly. Catfish live in deep-sea reservoirs, whirlpools, near dams near old mills, and in snags.

Within Belarus, catfish are most often found in the Western Dvina and Neman basins.

On the role of predatory fish in a reservoir. To have a lot of fish, you need to know the reasons that determine both the increase in the number of fish in a reservoir and the decrease in its number. What role do predators play in this? Is it necessary to reduce the number of predatory fish in all cases?

It is necessary to take into account, first of all, the fact that predators eat large quantities of low-value weed and diseased fish, thus being the orderlies of reservoirs.

Thus, in pond farms, pike increases the fish productivity of ponds, ridding carp of low-value and weedy fish species. Therefore, in Belarus it has long been bred together with carp. In the spring, a pike larva is added to a one-year-old carp weighing 20-25 g or more at a rate of 200-300 pcs. per 1 hectare of pond water area. Unwanted small items of low value and value found in the pond trash fish as they grow, it serves as an excellent food for pike. As a result, it quickly gains live weight and in one summer itself becomes a marketable fish. Why destroy it when the benefits outweigh the damage caused?

But this is in pond farms. And what about the reproduction of pike in lakes that are abundantly “contaminated” with low-value fish species? For some reason, we still consider carp and carp to be the main objects for stocking lakes with fish. It must be frankly admitted that although carp has received a widely accepted registration in pond farms, then it has not “entered” widely into our natural reservoirs. The industry has not yet received the planned commercial return from stocking lakes with carp. Here, of course, there are reasons, which lie primarily in the unpreparedness of the reservoirs, small fish seeding material, the difficulty of fishing lakes, since carp is very difficult to catch with existing industrial fishing gear, etc.

However, one should not assume that predators, especially pike, cause irreparable damage to valuable fish stocks. commercial fish. Carp is good for pond farms and drainage heated reservoirs, from where its full catch is guaranteed. But this applies more to the field of industrial fish farming.

It’s a completely different matter if it concerns amateur and sport fishing. Carp, as you know, prefers warm water and therefore bites only a few days a year when they are very hungry. In winter, he does not feed at all. The active feeding period of carp is 3-4 months, so it turns out to be not a very promising fish for fishing with amateur gear.

Pike is another matter. This insatiable predator can pounce on a fisherman’s bait at any time of the year and on any tackle. However, its reserves in our reservoirs are being unjustifiably reduced, which cannot but cause concern among workers fisheries, and among amateur fishermen.

If pike catches by industrial fisheries enterprises before 1975 amounted to 3.5 thousand centners, then in 1980 it was only 1.2 thousand centners and in 1984 - 1.2 thousand centners, i.e. decreased almost threefold.

There are more than 10 thousand lakes in Belarus, large and small, forest and swamp, deep and shallow. However, they all have low fish productivity. Their “yield” averages 12-15 kg of fish per hectare of water area. This is extremely small. Moreover, over 70% of the total catch consists of low-value fish species. It is characteristic that the quantitative composition of these fish in the water bodies of the republic does not decrease.

What causes this? The answer to this question should be sought in the underestimation of two main factors influencing the increase in the number of low-value fish species in our water bodies.

Firstly, the intensity of the fishery itself has dropped sharply. Fishermen are not interested in increasing the catch of low-value fish species, since existing prices do not stimulate their catch. The industry suffers losses from catching these fish. Therefore, most of it is simply not removed by fishing.

Secondly, the insufficient number of pike in them has an important influence on the growth of the number of low-value fish in our reservoirs. Its small number creates favorable conditions for the reproduction and development of fish ichthyofauna that is undesirable for us.

In a number of Western European countries Special farms for pike breeding are being created.

The meat of pike and pike perch has fewer bones compared to other small fish and is distinguished by special taste qualities. That is why pike should become an indispensable object of recreational and sport fishing. Only in this case can fishing be exciting and interesting throughout the year.

The process of obtaining pike larvae is simple. In early spring it is necessary to organize the catching of pike spawners from natural reservoirs where it is found. Form nests from them (one female, two or three males) and plant them in shallow overgrown ponds for natural spawning. After 7-12 days, the resulting juveniles are caught and transplanted into a pond for feeding. In addition, it is necessary to organize the collection of pike fry and transplant them into reservoirs from laced barrels, ditches, and other shallow waters after the spring decline in water on the rivers.

In addition to pike, it is necessary to maintain at the proper level the numbers of other predators from among valuable large-sized fish species - pike perch, burbot, catfish in those reservoirs in which many low-value and weed fish species have grown.

If we continue to engage only in the removal of predatory fish, without worrying about replenishing their numbers, this may lead to undesirable consequences. Some natural bodies of water may be overstocked with low-value fish species that do not represent much nutritional value.

Megalodon is the largest predatory fish that ever lived on Earth. This predator is similar in appearance to a white shark, only its size is much larger.

Scientists believe that megalodon in the distant prehistoric times was not only huge, but also the most formidable predator on our planet. This is evidenced by its gigantic size, powerful jaws and large, razor-sharp teeth. Huge shark She also swam very fast. The prehistoric animal fed on cetaceans that lived in those days, as well as other inhabitants of the oceans and seas, such as sperm whales, dolphins, and giant sea turtles.

Archaeologists find the remains of a huge predator all over the world: in India, South and North America, Europe, Japan, Africa, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Cuba.
Fossilized huge teeth prehistoric creature have been found since the Renaissance. The Danish scientist Niels Stensen, studying the finds back in 1667, concluded that the fossils were nothing more than the teeth of an ancient shark.

The table shows images of a megalodon, a great white shark and a human.

The size of the prehistoric creature is truly impressive, but there is debate about its size in scientific circles even today. Experts on prehistoric animals believe that the length of the predator was about 20.3 meters, and its body weight reached 47 tons. In their opinion, the jaw of large megalodon specimens was two meters.
The predatory fish had about 276 teeth; in the mouth they were located in 5 rows. Scientists believe that the megalodon's bite force was 182 thousand Newtons, which is about 10 times more than that of a great white shark.

In the United States of America, the Calvert Marine Museum displays a reconstructed skeleton of one young prehistoric predator as an exhibit. The length of this representative reaches 11.5 meters.
Most often when archaeological excavations It is the megalodon teeth that are found. Outwardly, they resemble the teeth of a white shark, but in comparison with them, the teeth of a prehistoric shark are much larger and stronger. The height of the megalodon tooth inclination reaches 180 mm.

These ancient creatures became extinct on Earth about two million years ago, and the reason for this was global change climate, as a result of which the currents in the oceans changed, the planet became colder and prehistoric large predators were unable to adapt to these conditions.

The world underwater is diverse and magnificent. He always intrigued people with his unknown nature. The inhabitants of lakes, seas, oceans and other bodies of water are so diverse that they are simply amazing. They differ in size, structure, feeding method, coloring and behavior. It’s incredibly interesting to watch this world, because the inhabitants have their own lives, their own rules. Let's try to find out what the biggest fish in the world are. You can meet large fish in various bodies of water: salty and fresh water Oh. In this article we will look at the largest fish that humanity has encountered.

Large representatives of the world's oceans

Among the specimens living in the world's oceans, there are fish of simply incredible size. It's hard to imagine that they can grow to such an impressive length. Many people think that the most big fish- whale, but this is not entirely correct. The whale is a member of the mammal family, which means it is not a member of the fish family.

The largest fish in the world is the whale shark, representatives of this species can reach large sizes, some grow up to 12 meters. In the wild it grows slower than in an aquarium, this is due to big amount food provided in aquariums. There is an aquarium in Taiwan where a shark lives, adding 1 cm every day; it feeds on plankton and small fish; in one hour it can pass up to 6,000 cubic meters of water through its gills. The whale is distinguished by its small head size, which is strongly flattened. The teeth are small, but their number is incredibly huge, can reach up to 15 thousand.

According to unconfirmed reports, in the ocean you can find a representative weighing about 35 tons and up to 20 meters long

The basking shark ranks second in size and can easily be called the largest fish on earth. The giant shark reaches an average length of 10 meters and weighs about 5 tons. The largest specimen that a person saw was more than 12 meters in length and weighed 9 tons. It is interesting that such a shark was caught in a herring net. Currently, such large individuals are no longer found, the reason for this was large-scale fishing for basking sharks. The giant feeds differently from the majority of sharks; it does not absorb food, but filters everything that gets into it due to the fact that it swims with its mouth open.

A giant shark's stomach can hold half a ton of food.

In another way, this representative can be called the herring king. This is an unusual and longest fish in the world. It is often confused with a sea snake; the thickness of the body is only 5 cm with a body length of up to 5 meters. The belt fish can be seen swimming among the herring, which is how it got its second name. The unusual shape of a fish often attracts people; after catching one of its representatives, many people want to capture this event.

The belt fish is believed to be a harbinger of earthquakes

This individual consists of a large number of bones and reaches large sizes - up to 3 meters in length and 1.5 tons in weight. Its body looks like a flat circle, with equal length and width.

The mouth is always open due to the fact that the mouth is beak-shaped due to the fused teeth.

The teeth have grown together to form a beak, which does not close completely, and it turns out that the mouth is always slightly open.

Another record of this representative is fertility. At one time, caviar contains several hundred million eggs.

You can meet it in all oceans, but its favorite pastime is at a depth of 200 meters at a water temperature no warmer than 10 degrees. From modern fish big size For humans, the moonfish is the most harmless and poses no danger.

Sunfish have no scales

The giant grouper is often found in shallow waters in the tropics and can reach lengths of up to 2.5 meters. Guasa is considered an endangered species and is prohibited for fishing. Thanks to this ban, the grouper population began to increase. Guasa is able to protect its territory from invasion, it becomes aggressive and can even attack a person. The giant grouper can be called a predator.

The diet of the giant grouper includes various fish, small turtles and octopuses

Blue marlin

Blue marlin is one of the largest fish in the world. It reaches 5 meters in length. Females are much larger than males. Marlin lives in the Atlantic Ocean and is considered a favorite prey for sport fishing enthusiasts; catching it is considered a great success.

The largest predatory fish is large White shark, its length reaches 6 meters. The great white shark lives in the ocean and poses a serious danger to humans, as it loves coastal water, as a result of which it often attacks people. The white shark is a rare species; their population is very small. The average lifespan of a white shark is about 70 years; sexual maturity in females occurs only at 33 years, and in males at 26.

A great white shark attacks a person, but only when he invades its hunting territory

Freshwater giants

Marine inhabitants, of course, are the most diverse and numerous, but also river representatives can amaze with their size and uniqueness. Therefore, when fishing in unfamiliar places, you need to take safety measures so as not to become a victim of some giant. No one knows how big the catfish in a nearby lake or river could grow to.

The largest freshwater fish is the arapaima. It grows up to 2 meters in length, but there is a legend in which a fisherman was lucky enough to catch an arapaima 4.5 meters long. This fish has large scales and large plates on its head. Interestingly, scales are many times stronger than bone. main feature This representative of the water element is that she breathes ordinary air, like mammals, and she inhales so loudly that it can be heard from afar.

Once every 20 minutes, the arapaima floats to the surface for a breath of fresh air.

The catfish grows up to 4 meters, and its weight can reach 300 kg. This fish has no scales; depending on its habitat, the color of the surface of the catfish’s body changes. The color can be: yellow, black, most often brown. They feed mainly on small fish and crustaceans. There are even known cases of attacks on humans. In winter, active activity decreases, catfish do not feed, gather in groups and wait out the cold times in pits.

Sexual maturity in the common catfish is reached at 3-4 years of age.

Giant freshwater stingray

It poses no danger to humans if handled correctly. On its tail there are two large thorn. He holds the victim with one, and injects poison into the other. When fishing, it always swings its tail, so you should be extremely careful.

In the list of “Largest Freshwater Fish,” the beluga comes first. It belongs to the sturgeon family. This fish lives in the sea, but enters rivers to spawn. Some of the belugas spend the winter in rivers. She is a long-liver, tracking the age of some individuals, scientists have come to the conclusion that the beluga can live up to 100 years. The fish has a thick body in the shape of a cylinder, ash-colored gray. It is a predatory fish and its fishing is prohibited.

Beluga caviar is the most valuable in the world

Carp

Carp lives in freshwater; the main condition is that the reservoir has no current and the bottom is muddy. The body is covered with small scales. The largest carp caught by a person weighed 48 kg. It feeds on reed shoots, aquatic plants, mollusks and even the eggs of other fish.

The third largest among the sturgeon family. The fish is quite aggressive, its color has white spots on the sides and on the back. The white sturgeon can reach 5-6 meters in length and weigh about 800 kg. They live quite a long time, their age can reach 110 years, sexual maturity occurs no earlier than 14 years for males, and no earlier than 18 years for females.

White sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in the United States

Siberian taimen, or Russian salmon, belongs to the salmon family. She rightfully holds the title of the largest salmon in the world. The length of the fish can reach 1.5-2 meters, weight - 70-80 kg. It feeds on all smaller fish. The color varies, but the head is always olive green and the tail is red. Taimen grow larger than other salmon due to their long lifespan.

IN mating season taimen acquires a copper-red color throughout the body

Giants living in an aquarium

Large representatives can also be found in aquariums. Some people prefer to keep rather large pets. We will talk about three representatives of the aquarium world.

Better known as pangasius. Shark catfish is considered the largest aquarium representative. In an artificial environment, its size is much smaller - 50-70 cm - than the size of fish in the wild - up to 1 meter. Outwardly it looks like a shark, which is why the catfish got the name shark. Large catfish require a large aquarium to move freely.

The fish is very shy and can even faint for up to 20 minutes.

Among the large aquarium fish, it is worth noting the armored pike. In an aquarium, its size directly depends on the conditions created; being in a small aquarium, the pike begins to grow in width; in the wild it grows much larger - up to 1.5 meters in length. It is not advisable to keep the armored pike in an aquarium with other fish, as it can be aggressive towards them. The fish has long and strong jaws, gray body covered with dark gray or black spots, hard scales.

The armored pike lives no more than 20 years

Distributed in the Amazon basin. The color can be different: gray, brown, black, with yellow spots scattered throughout. A special artificially bred species is popular for aquariums; this astronotus has a red color. It quickly gets used to people and allows itself to be fed from the palm of your hand. The ocellated Astronotus is unique in its behavior; it sometimes allows itself to be stroked, but with sudden movements it senses danger and, in defense, can bite its owner. In nature, there are individuals that reach 45 cm, but in an aquarium their size does not exceed 25 cm.

The average lifespan of the ocellated astronotus is 18 years

We told you what the biggest fish in the world is. Our Earth is inhabited by many unusual creatures, each of which is unique. Such individuals are admired, scientists study them. Each representative of the fish element has its own size, color, and vital features.

Predatory fish - There is danger lurking in almost every large body of water. The biggest fears in the seas are sharks and barracudas, and in fresh waters - piranhas. Since the release of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, the great white shark has become a terror to American swimmers, who are convinced that the shark thinks of nothing more than feasting on them. In reality this is not the case.

The man-eating shark disdains to eat human flesh, and if by chance some unlucky person falls into its mouth, he will most likely be spat out. Of course, severely disfigured.

Predatory fish - description of species, photos and videos

There have been 78 attacks by this shark on people in California, but only 8 resulted in death. Predatory fish are true masters of finding, grabbing and killing their prey. They, in turn, try to avoid a sad end for themselves; Therefore, amazing hunters must have very sensitive organs, capable of constantly monitoring both the immediate and more distant surroundings. However, finding the victim is only the beginning of success, because you still need to catch up with it. In water, where the resistance of the environment is 800 times greater than on land, body structure is as important as muscle strength. And the movement of spindle-shaped fish can be extremely fast.

From these positions, pelagic sharks and barracudas have the best shape - their elongated, egg-shaped bodies are at their greatest thickness at about a third of the length, if measured from the muzzle, and then the body of the fish becomes thinner towards the tail, as well as tapers slightly less at reverse side, ending with a blunt snout, with which the fish cuts through the water while moving.

The friction between water and scales is significantly reduced by the secretions of the skin glands. Sharks have inhabited the seas for 350 million years, and during all this time they have hardly changed.

This is an exceptionally successful product of evolution. They are found in all ecological niches of the ocean - from coasts and coral reefs to open sea spaces and great depths. Typically, sharks chase prey that they can swallow whole. The unbridled hunting instinct sets in the moment the predator tastes blood.

The first shark, looking closely at the victim, carefully circles around it, not starting an attack until at least one more shark appears. Then the circles narrow - and, finally, one of the predators sinks its teeth into the prey and, with strong jerks of its head, tears off the first piece from it. This is a signal for others.

Falling into a trance for a while, the shark loses its instinct of self-preservation. When nothing remains of the torn prey, the killers disappear as imperceptibly as they appeared. They smell blood from afar, possessing a very subtle sense of smell, but in pursuing prey, hearing and the superbly developed sensory organs of the lateral line also play a significant role.

Thanks to these organs, sharks extremely subtly sense vibration caused by sudden movements of the patient or weak fish who become the first victims of sharks.

The vision of these predators is weak - the eyes have low resolution, and in addition, they do not distinguish colors; When attacking prey, sharks even close their eyes with a hard nictitating membrane.

At critical moments, the accuracy of the attack is controlled by receivers of weak electrical impulses scattered across the shark’s face, generated by convulsive contractions of the muscles of the fleeing victim. One of the most common sharks is the long-winged one, which rarely swims to the shores.

Most often there are individuals about 2 meters long and weighing several tens of kilograms. This species lives mainly in tropical seas, while in the subtropical and temperate zones blue sharks are common - graceful, with long muzzle and long pectoral fins of fish, having the same dimensions as those of the previous species.

Tiger sharks, so named because of the stripes clearly visible on the body of young individuals, are considered one of the most dangerous to humans. Adults reach 5 meters in length and weigh almost 0.5 tons.

When examining the contents of their stomachs, in addition to crabs, lobsters, squids and all kinds of fish, the remains of birds were found, sea ​​snakes, crocodiles, dogs, cats, canned food and even bags of coal, indicating close contact with human habitation and penetration into river mouths.

Tiger sharks are found throughout the sea, and not just in the shelf zone - but exclusively in the tropics. Close relatives of this family of sawtooth sharks are hammerhead sharks. They have a similar silhouette and fin arrangement, including a fairly large caudal fin with an elongated upper blade that has a protrusion at the end. They owe their name to the shape of their head.

Smaller specimens of hammerhead sharks feed not only on fish, but also on invertebrates, which are found off the coast and in the murky, brackish waters of estuaries. When searching for food, they primarily rely on their sense of smell, as evidenced by the way they approach prey. Since the nostrils are located at the edges of the lateral processes of the head, the large distance between them - at least in several species - forces the shark to turn towards the victim with one or the other nostril, and the fish approaches the target in zigzags.

If you close one nostril, the behavior changes - then the shark circles around the source of the smell and swims up in a spiral. Large hammerheads feed on cephalopods and fish; Moreover, among the victims there are other sharks, and of impressive size. The tail spines of stingrays are often found in the stomachs of fish of this species, which indicates that hammerhead sharks also hunt at the bottom.

All types of hammers, and there are several dozen of them, differ in the shape of the head and the level of development of the lateral processes. Large hammerhead sharks are dangerous, and their attacks on people swimming have a fatal outcome.

Their jaws are as strong as those of sawtooth sharks, and their teeth, although sharp, are without jagged edges. Worst reputation used by the white shark. The name can be misleading because the coloration is not much different from that typical of other pelagic sharks. The distinctive sign is rather the teeth - smooth and triangular both on the top and on the lower jaw- they are also sharp, which makes it easy to bite through both soft and hard materials.

The length of the teeth in large specimens reaches 5 cm, so it is not difficult for them to bite off a human limb. These species grow up to 6 - 8 meters in length and weigh more than 3 tons. White sharks, also called man-eaters, live in the waters of all oceans, but still more often in the subtropics and warm areas temperate zone, than in more heated tropical waters.

Despite the fact that they can easily cover vast spaces, white sharks prefer to live off the coast. Most often they appear where the shore borders the depths, especially if there are colonies of seals or sea lions on the shore.

Small species are content with fish, among which there are many representatives of the class of bony fish, as well as other sharks and rays. White sharks hunt alone or in pairs, and several sharks in a row can only be found in places where there is a large concentration of food. In some regions there are fish that are even more feared than sharks.

Such predators include barracudas in particular, the great barracuda and the Pacific barracuda. Their body length approaches 3 meters, and their weight approaches several tens of kilograms. The body is very elongated, and there are powerful fangs in the mouth.

The lower jaw protrudes forward, the fangs in the first species are normal, in the second they are curved inside the body. Off the coast of Central California over 32 years, there were 41 attacks on swimmers, which were blamed on man-eating sharks. But defenders of these fish argue that they had no evil intentions and that the aggression is the result of a mistake when hunting other prey. Most tragedies involving sharks are attributed to man-eaters, hence their name. However, it must be taken into account that cases of attacks most often occur in the tropics, where there are many more predators that are difficult to distinguish from each other.

Large predatory sharks - such as tiger or white sharks - have razor-sharp teeth designed to tear apart prey. But most sharks, including the common catshark, feed in bottom waters: their strong teeth crush crustacean shells and mollusk shells. Sharks that hunt fish have long, thin teeth designed to capture slippery prey. Barracudas attack people extremely rarely, and most often scuba divers. These attacks are caused either by a desire to profit from fish caught by a scuba diver, or when a predator mistakes shiny objects, such as a knife, for fish.

The throw is lightning fast and consists of one blow, but even this is enough to inflict terrible wounds. Several have been documented deaths- mainly in the southeast coast area North America. Barracudas are suspected of attacking people on beaches, but there is not enough evidence to support this.

It is believed that barracudas have their own hunting territories: they live near rocks or coral reefs, where they wait motionless for prey, just as pike, which looks like sea ​​predators. However, this applies to large species, and representatives of smaller ones hunt on the move.

It happens that in small groups they chase small fish on the surface of the water or near the shores. Large species Barracudas mainly feed on fish, and they grab everything they can and even attack victims larger than themselves.

There are 18 known species of barracuda. The smallest ones do not exceed 30 cm, but thanks to their long mouth they are also predators. In the color of barracudas, dark on top and silver on the sides, characteristic feature are transverse stripes and spots on the lower part of the body.

They reproduce according to a pattern common in shelf waters, especially among perch fish: small eggs float in the water, and the fry immediately after birth begin to feed on plankton. According to popular belief, piranhas are among the most formidable predators of fresh waters.

These are gregarious fish, whose representatives mainly feed on other fish. Piranhas also hunt prey that is many times larger - for example, mammals such as oxen and pigs. When searching for food, piranhas primarily use their sense of smell. During the hunt, they swim in a large flock, try to get as close as possible to the potential victim and attack unexpectedly.

First of all, predators chew off the fins so that the prey cannot hide - piranhas themselves swim slowly. A moment later, the prey dies, torn to pieces by the sharp teeth of predators. Piranhas have a tall, laterally compressed body.

On both jaws there are knife-sharp triangular teeth, growing in such a way that each one fits between the two on the opposite jaw. The cheeks have strong muscles that serve to operate the massive jaws, which cut through anything that gets caught in them with razor sharpness.

Among the 16 species, only two can be dangerous to humans, and then in crowded places, and near slaughterhouses, where bloody waste is dumped into the river: the smell of blood excites piranhas, and they always attack a wounded animal or person. In waters free of slaughterhouse waste, it is safe to swim among piranhas.

Piranhas are most aggressive during periods of drought, when food spaces are narrowed to small bodies of water. Despite their supposedly extreme bloodthirstiness, piranhas are often bred as aquarium fish.

Predatory fish video

Fish-predators video from Discovery and National Geographic:

Some people, when asked: “What is the largest fish?” will answer: “Whale.” But this is a misconception, because a whale is a mammal, not a fish. Of all living creatures on the planet, the whale is undoubtedly the largest.

But still, what is the biggest fish in the world? It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally. Some data vary widely, and reported rates differ from unofficial ones. But if you focus on general statistics, then there is some consistency. Let's see which fish species are the largest by tracing the chain of 10 representatives in reverse order.

10. Som

This fish can reach 5 meters in length and 400 kg in weight. But due to poaching, it has become rare to see catfish of such dimensions. Their weight and size depend entirely on age. So, for example, a four-year-old individual weighs 8 kg, a fish whose age has reached 8 years old weighs 16 kg, at 15 years old the weight of a catfish ranges from 40 to 60 kg, at 20 years old it weighs up to 120 kg. Catfish live up to 30 years.

- a heat-loving fish and lives in the basins of the Black, Aral, Caspian and Azov seas. In Russian reservoirs, catfish is the most large predator. He prefers to huddle in deep holes, away from the riverbed. Catfish do not like currents and muddy bottoms, so the holes in which they stop can become their home forever, and they only leave there to hunt.

9. Antarctic blue marlin

This species of ray-finned fish from the billfish family reaches five meters and 818 kg. At least this is the highest recorded figure. Blue marlins are heat-loving fish and live in waters with temperatures ranging from 22 to 30 C. Marlins are found only in the Atlantic Ocean, in its tropical and temperate parts.

This breed of fish is migratory. They travel long distances and it is unknown whether they return. Of the marked individuals, some returned to their original place, but this still does not prove anything.

Female blue marlin are much larger than males. They reach sexual maturity at the age of three to four years. The weight of the individual at this moment is 45 – 65 kg. The weight of males at this age reaches 35–45 kg.

Adult fish feed on other swimming creatures such as squid and other fish species, mainly mackerel. Blue marlin larvae receive food from the larvae of other fish, plankton larvae, including zooplankton.

8. Fish Moon

The moon-shaped fish reaches 3 meters in size and weighs 1.4 tons. This fish is shaped like a plate - round and flat. The tail stalk of fish of this breed is absent, as well as the caudal fin. The anal fin and dorsal fin do not have spines. In place of the caudal fin there is a fold of skin that creates an imitation of a fin. The skin of adult representatives is elastic and thick. It is covered with small bumps.

Sunfish are found in tropical waters of the Antarctic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. In some, more rare cases, this fish can be observed in the Baltic Sea, off the coast Kola Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea.

At first, these fish were considered not the best swimmers, who were unable to cope with the current, but during the research they measured maximum speed the movement of the moon fish is 3.28 km per hour.

7. Mako shark

The maximum length of the mako shark that is recorded is 4 meters, 45 cm. This species is also called the blacktip and mackerel shark, but the mako shark is more common.

This fish belongs to the herring family. Perhaps they are the fastest of all species of sharks living in the waters of the seas and oceans. You can see the mako shark in warm waters with a tropical climate in all existing oceans.

The black-nosed herring shark poses a threat to people and many cases of its attacks on humans have been recorded.

The general appearance of the mackerel shark corresponds to the typical build of fish of this breed. She has an elongated body with a pointed nose, a gray back and a whitish abdomen. The mako shark, like other species of herring sharks, is able to maintain its body temperature higher than the temperature of the environment around it. This is facilitated by endothermy.

The diet of the black-nosed shark is mainly bony fish, but she is not averse to feasting on other inhabitants of the ocean. Mako sharks reproduce by ovoviviparity with oophagy.

6. Tiger shark

Tiger shark, or, as they are also called, leopard sharks from the family of gray sharks. Weight Limit representatives of this species are 1.5 tons and 6.32 meters long.

Tiger sharks live in tropical and subtropical waters of seas and oceans throughout to the globe. Their peculiarity can be considered complete absence disgust, because they eat everything. What have they not found in the stomach of a leopard shark? During the butchering, we found the remains of dogs, cats, hooves of cows and deer, parts of a dolphin, tin cans, cigarette packs, bags of coal and much, much other garbage.

The tiger shark is a scavenger and cases of cannibalism have been observed. So, for example, once when catching one leopard shark, the second one got close and ate it. Considering that there was not enough food, she gobbled up the bait, thereby getting hooked.

The leopard shark is very dangerous for people, as it constantly swims in shallow water. And her dimensions are not a hindrance to her.

5. White shark

The great white shark can be up to 5.3 m long and weigh up to 1.9 tons. Despite the fact that leopard sharks are frequent visitors to shallow waters, more attacks on humans have been recorded involving white sharks. At the beginning of 2000, 140 acts of white shark attacks on humans were recorded, 30 of which were fatal.

Considering the statistics, we can say that the great white shark poses the highest threat to humans among all breeds of this species. Attempts to attack boats and large vessels by white sharks are not uncommon. They hit the bow against the stern of the ship. The impact was so strong that people fell overboard or the boat capsized.

Although the white shark is not omnivorous, like its fellow tiger shark, it still prefers to taste everything. This is what causes her to attack people so frequently. She most likely just wants to try what it is like by biting it.

If a white shark is asked to choose between food, it will prefer what it already knows and is familiar with. If there is no choice, then the white shark will not refuse anything. It is believed that these sharks confuse divers with pinnipeds, which, in turn, are a common dish in their diet.

Steven Spielberg's thriller about a shark, called Jaws, portrays these fish as human-killing machines. But in reality, these individuals prefer food that is familiar to their environment and do not purposefully hunt for humans.

4. Greenland shark

Greenlandic polar shark also called the Atlantic polar shark or smallhead shark. The length of this breed reaches 7.5 m and weighs 1.5 tons. The Greenland polar shark is very slow and feeds on fish and carrion. Not averse to snacking on similar small-sized individuals.

Of all the representatives of the shark genus, the Greenland polar shark prefers cold waters and lives in the north of the Atlantic Ocean: Denmark, Russia, USA, Norway, Germany, Greenland and Canada.

Attacks on people by this type of shark are practically never encountered due to their cold habitat. They are rather pests, breaking through the nets and releasing the prey of fishermen, so when they catch a Greenland polar shark, they cut off its tail fin and release it back.

3. Beluga

Beluga is a fish from the sturgeon family. Its unofficial maximum body length reaches 8.9 meters and weighs 2 tons. The maximum weight of a beluga was 1.5 tons and a length of 4.2 meters. The lifespan of fish is about 100 years.

This sturgeon lives in the Azov, Caspian and Black Seas. The fish go into the rivers to spawn. These are mainly the Volga, Ural, Terek and Kura. After spawning, the female returns to the waters of the seas.

Beluga caviar is gray with a black tint. This is an expensive and very tasty gourmet food. Previously, it was freely supplied from Russia to other countries, but later a ban appeared due to the large increase in poachers. But, despite the law, for poachers, beluga caviar is a valuable and difficult catch, which they are trying to sell illegally. Repeatedly such attempts were suppressed by law, and the violators received a well-deserved punishment.

2. Giant shark

The giant shark can be up to 16 meters in length (according to unofficial data) and can reach up to 4 tons. Despite its impressive size, this type of shark does not pose a threat to humans. The fish allows divers to swim up to it and feels calm in their surroundings. When a ship approaches, the shark is in no hurry to hide from it.

Basking sharks are the only filter feeders in the shark genus. They do not suck in water when eating plankton, but pass it through their gills. Up to 2 thousand tons of water are filtered in an hour. To do this, the shark simply swims with its mouth wide open. At one time, a giant shark can have up to 500 kg of food in its stomach.

This species of shark is declining in numbers due to poaching, entanglement in nets, low birth rates and long gestation periods. Basking sharks have been classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

1. Whale shark

So we got to the largest slave on the planet. The whale shark reaches 20 meters in length and weighs 5 tons. As well as giant shark, whale is not dangerous. Some divers dared to touch it and even tried to ride it. The friendly giant fish, unlike its bloodthirsty relatives, is content with eating plankton, like the giant shark. Only it does not filter plankton, but swallows it along with water.

The whale shark prefers swimming on the surface of the water. Its speed does not exceed 5 km per hour. The largest fish lives in tropical climate throughout the world's oceans. In some habitats, the population of whale sharks greatly exceeds other places. These individuals prefer to be found in small flocks, but you can often find a solitary representative of this species. In more rare cases, mass associations (up to one hundred heads) are observed; this happens with accumulations of plankton. given in a large flock just having a meal together.

Unlike its predecessor in size, whale shark difficult to confuse with another species of shark. She has a massive body with a flattened head. And the closer to the snout, the more flattened it is. The mouth itself big fish is located at the end of the snout, and not under it, unlike other representatives of the shark genus.

This is how the largest fish on the planet turned out to be one of the most harmless huge creatures planet Earth.