Giant Stingray Could Be World's Largest Freshwater Fish

The beast of a stingray caught by Zeb Hogan's "Megafishes Project" team, which is conducting an expedition to tag freshwater fishes in southeast Asia with National Geographic. Credit: University of Nevada, Reno

As part of a National Geographic expedition, scientists caught what could be the world’s biggest stingray.

The fish was tagged and released in central Thailand on Jan. 28, during the expedition, which seeks to find and protect specimens of the world's largest freshwater fish.

A photo marking the catch was widely circulated along with a rumor that it weighed a whopping 771 pounds. But while the stingray was indeed a heavyweight, its exact weight is unknown.

"While the photo is genuine and there’s no denying that this is a huge stingray, the stingray in the photo was never weighed," said conservation biologist Zeb Hogan of the University of Nevada, Reno. Hogan was the lead researcher on the expedition.

Freshwater giant stingrays are among the largest of the approximately 200 species of rays. They can be found in a handful of rivers in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

The fish, caught by volunteer angler Ian Welch from a small boat using a rod and reel, will be featured in an upcoming documentary airing on the National Geographic Channel.

Find out more at LiveScience.