What's the biggest fish in the world? - Geographic FAQ Hub: Answers to Your Global Questions (2024)

What’s the biggest fish in the world?

The biggest fish in the world is the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). It earns its name “whale” because of its massive size. Just like the blue whale, the whale shark is the largest species of any fish, known to reach more than 40 feet in length.

What is the biggest fish not a shark?

The giant oceanic manta ray is the largest fish that is not a shark. It can reach lengths of up to 9 meters and weigh up to 3000 kg. Additionally, it has the largest brain-to-body size ratio among all fish.

What is the largest fish ever caught?

The largest fish ever caught include the great white shark weighing 2,664 pounds, the tiger shark weighing 1,785 pounds 11 ounces, the Greenland shark weighing 1,708 pounds 9 ounces, and the black marlin weighing 1,560 pounds.

Which is bigger, a blue whale or a whale shark?

While the whale shark is certainly a big animal, it is considerably smaller than the blue whale. The blue whale, scientifically known as Balaenoptera musculus, is the largest animal in the world.

Are megalodons bigger than blue whales?

No, blue whales are larger than megalodons. Blue whales can weigh up to 100-110 tons and reach lengths of up to 100 feet, while megalodons weighed around 50-70 tons and reached lengths of up to 60-70 feet.

What are the top 20 largest fish in the world?

Unfortunately, the provided article does not contain any information about the top 20 largest fish in the world.

Do megalodons still exist?

Megalodons are extinct. They died out about 3.5 million years ago. Scientists have determined this based on the analysis of megalodon teeth and have not found any living specimens.

What is the rarest large fish?

The world’s rarest large fish include the Devil’s Hole pupfish, the Sakhalin sturgeon, the Red Handfish, the Adriatic sturgeon, the Tequila Splitfin, the Giant Sea Bass, the Smalltooth Sawfish, and the European Sea Sturgeon.

What is the biggest edible fish?

The five biggest edible fish include the blue marlin, swordfish, bluefin tuna, goliath grouper, and cubera snapper.

What fish can swallow a shark?

There have been rare instances where a mammoth grouper, a type of fish, has been observed swallowing a whole reef shark in one swallow.

Who is the king of the ocean?

The killer whale, also known as the orca, is considered the king of the ocean. As apex predators, they have no natural predators and hunt in packs, resembling wolves.

Which is the fastest fish in the world?

The sailfish is widely regarded as the fastest fish in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 68 miles per hour.

What big fish is bigger than a human?

The whale shark is the biggest fish that is larger than a human. Despite its massive size, whale sharks are known to be docile and approachable.

What’s the smallest fish in the world?

The world’s smallest fish is the Paedocypris progenetica, which was discovered in the last decade. It is found in the forest swamps on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

What is the 400 million-year-old fish?

The coelacanth is a fish that has been considered a “living fossil” because it is believed to have evolved to its current form approximately 400 million years ago. It was thought to be extinct, but living specimens were discovered.

What is the most expensive fish alive?

The platinum arowana is considered the most expensive fish. However, its trade is illegal as it is an endangered species.

What is the hardest fish to catch?

Some of the hardest fish to catch include the giant trevally, greater amberjack, goliath tigerfish, swordfish, white sturgeon, apache trout, sailfish, and tuna species.

What is the oldest fish alive?

Currently, there is no confirmed oldest living fish. However, Methuselah, an Australian lungfish, is believed to be one of the oldest aquarium fish.

What is the most beautiful fish?

Some of the world’s most gorgeous fish include the mandarinfish, clown triggerfish, betta fish, lionfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, seahorse, and killifish.

What fish only lives in one cave?

The endangered Devils Hole pupfish is the fish that only lives in one water-filled hole in a cave in the Nevada desert.

What killed the megalodon?

The extinction of megalodons is thought to be a result of climate change, as colder oceans made it difficult for them to regulate their body temperature, and a lack of prey due to the changing marine environment.

Would a megalodon eat a human?

If megalodons were still alive, they could swallow a human whole, but it is believed that they would not find humans to be a suitable prey item due to their small size.

Are megalodons 100% extinct?

Yes, megalodons are 100% extinct and have been for millions of years. There is no evidence to suggest that they exist in the present day.

What's the biggest fish in the world? - Geographic FAQ Hub: Answers to Your Global Questions (2024)

FAQs

What's the biggest fish in the world? - Geographic FAQ Hub: Answers to Your Global Questions? ›

The biggest fish in the ocean is the Rhincodon typus

Rhincodon typus
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft).
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Whale_shark
or whale shark. Despite their tremendous size and intimidating appearance, whale sharks are commonly docile and approachable.

Which is the biggest fish in the world? ›

The Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest of all fishes. Whale Sharks between 4 m to 12 m in length are most often seen, but the species can possibly reach a length of 18 m. Whale Sharks can be easily recognised by their colour pattern.

What's the biggest fish in the world that's not a shark? ›

The Mola mola is the world's largest living bony fish. Adults of this species weigh around 2.3 tons and can grow up to a maximum length of 10.8 ft. Due to their unique shape, the fish can attain a height equivalent to their length. These fish inhabit the world's tropical and temperate oceans.

What was the largest fish to ever live? ›

Enter Leedsichthys problematicus. The extinct fish—thought to be the largest on record—lived about 165 million years ago in Europe and South America. It grew to at least 16.5 meters in length and might have weighed 45 metric tons, which means it was larger even than today's whale shark.

What is the worlds biggest fishing catch? ›

The largest fish ever caught which is verified and listed by the IGFA is a 2,664lb (1,208kg) great white shark.

What are the top 3 largest fish in the world? ›

Largest extant fish
RankNameBinomial Name
1Whale sharkRhino typus
2Basking sharkCetorhinus maximus
3Great white sharkCarcharodon carcharias
4Tiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvier
10 more rows

Which fish is the king of fish? ›

Solution: Salmon is called the king of the fishes. It has a silver, shiny skin just like that of the king's crown.

Is there a fish bigger than Megalodon? ›

Leedsichthys problematicus, meaning "Alfred Leed's problem-causing fish", was another prehistoric ocean giant. Estimates put Leedsichthys at approximately 16.5m long, substantially larger than the average Megalodon. Although huge, this fish was probably a filter-feeder, not a predator.

What fish can swallow a shark? ›

There's a reason goliath groupers are called the garbage disposals of the sea — they eat everything in sight, including sharks apparently.

What fish can swallow a shark whole? ›

They spend so much time on the ocean that eventually, something weird is going to happen right before their eyes. Like this mammoth grouper, that looks like it's from the Stone Age, come from deep to devour a reef shark whole in one swallow.

What is the largest fish in the world Wikipedia? ›

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species.

What big fish went extinct? ›

In the muddy waters of the Yangtze, the paddlefish lived as it had for eons, using its special sword-like snout to sense electrical activity to find prey, such as crustaceans and fish. But there's one phenomenon this ancient species, sometimes called the “panda of the Yangtze,” could not survive—humans.

What big fish is bigger than a human? ›

It's a whale shark! @National Geographic TV shared a video on Monday, September 9th showing off just how big a whale shark is. They grow up to 40 feet long and weigh up to 20 tons.

What's the fastest fish? ›

Most sources believe that the fastest species of fish is the Indo-Pacific Sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus. According to Johnson and Gill (see below) the species has been clocked in excess of 110 km/h (68 mph) over short periods. The Indo-Pacific Sailfish grows to over 3.4 m in total length and 100 kg in weight.

What is the rarest fish in the world? ›

But perhaps its most famous occupant is one that keeps fighting against all odds: the Devils Hole pupfish, a tiny endangered vertebrate that also happens to be the rarest fish on the planet.

How long was the biggest fish ever caught? ›

Regardless of rules this marlin is one of the one of the greatest catches in fishing the history. The black marlin was caught in Cabo Blanco, Peru, on the boat “Petrel” which was captained by Stirling Stuart. The record setting fish weighed in at 1,560 pounds and 14 and a half feet long.

Which is bigger whale or shark? ›

While the whale shark is certainly a big animal, it is considerably smaller than the blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, which is the biggest animal in the world. The largest blue whale ever recorded measured a staggering 33 metres in length.

Is whale shark a whale or a shark? ›

1. Whale sharks are not whales, they are sharks. Although these huge sea creatures are called 'whale sharks', they are not actually whales, but filter-feeding sharks, often referred to as "gentle giants".

What is the second largest fish in the world? ›

The basking shark is the second largest fish in the world, and like the largest fish (the whale shark) and the largest animal (the blue whale), basking sharks are filter feeders that eat tiny, planktonic prey.

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