Giant Stingray Smashes World Record

A monumental discovery was made in June 2022 when fishermen near Koh Preah island, situated on Cambodia's Mekong River, reeled in an extraordinary giant freshwater stingray. This magnificent creature, weighing an astonishing 300 kilograms and measuring 3.98 meters from snout to tail, has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest freshwater fish ever documented globally. This record-breaking specimen surpassed the previous holder, a Mekong giant catfish caught in 2005. Researchers from the Wonders of the Mekong project were able to tag and release the ray alive after its measurement.

Experts estimate this giant stingray to be several decades old, having grown slowly in the river's stable environments. These rays typically inhabit muddy riverbeds and are listed as endangered by the IUCN. Their populations are under severe threat due to factors including the construction of dams, extensive sand mining, and overfishing within the vast Mekong River basin. Ongoing research, utilizing acoustic tags, aims to track the stingray's movements to better understand its habits and migration patterns, crucial for its conservation.