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Megafishes


About Megafishes

Biologist Zeb Hogan leads the Megafishes Project, a three-year effort to document the 20-some species of freshwater fish at least 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length or 220 pounds (100 kilograms) in weight. These fish are losing the fight for survival, as pollution, overfishing, and construction threaten the rivers and lakes they call home.

Donate to the Megafish Project and help protect these freshwater giants.

 

Megafish Videos

Photo: Zeb Hogan with a river catfish

River Catfish Release

The river catfish, also known as the iridescent shark catfish, is a threatened migratory catfish of Southeast Asia. Zeb and his team have tagged over 3,000 individuals to learn more about their behavior.

Photo: Zeb Hogan with a giant freshwater stingray

Giant Freshwater Stingray

Unknown to science until 1990, the giant freshwater stingray is an elusive creature that inhabits deep rivers in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and northern Australia.

Photo: Close-up of a Mekong giant catfish

Mekong Giant Catfish

The Mekong giant catfish is a gentle giant that survives on a diet of plant matter and algae.

Photo: Zeb Hogan with a chao phraya catfish

Chao Phraya Catfish

The chao phraya catfish, also known as the dog-eating catfish, is now extremely rare in the wild and in urgent need of study to assess its conservation status.

Megafish Features

Photo: Man with giant Eurasian trout

Photo Gallery: Megafishes

From sturgeon to taimen, giant freshwater fish are some of the most rare and vulnerable species on Earth.

Photo: Zeb Hogan gets water splashed in his face by a carp

Zeb Hogan Interview

What kind of fish would this National Geographic Emerging Explorer want to be? Zeb talks candidly about his childhood and his work.

Photo: Close-up of a lake sturgeon

Lake Sturgeon

Demand for the lake sturgeon's tiny eggs once drove the species to the brink of extinction. But the megafish may be making a comeback.

Photo: A preserved paddlefish housed at the Yangtze River Fishery Research Institute in Jingshao, China.

Chinese Paddlefish

Scientists worry that the Chinese paddlefish, giant of the Yangtze River, may already be extinct.

Photo: Close-up of a taimen

Taimen

Also called giant Eurasian trout, these megafishes are fierce predators that sometimes chase their prey in packs.

Photo: A pair of Chinese sturgeon in the Beijing City Aquarium, China.

Chinese Sturgeon

This relic of the dinosaur era, sometimes called the "fossil fish," faces a fight for survival.

Photo: Two boys carrying river catfish

River Catfish

At 5 feet (1.5 meters) and 99 pounds (45 kilograms), this less celebrated species has no apologies to make in the size department.

Photo: An alligator gar

Alligator Gar

The largest of all the gars, this megafish earns its name with a wide, crocodilian head and rows of sharp teeth.

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