We are often habituated to seeing big-sized rohu, tuna, and mackerel fish in the market, thinking them to be the biggest fish in the world! But deep down, we all know this is not the truth.
So, then what is the biggest fish in the world? As per general knowledge, your quick answer would be a whale or a shark. Indeed, they are bigger than other fish in the wet world. But are they the biggest of all? Well, let’s know more.
The World’s Biggest Fish
When it’s about knowing what is the biggest fish in the world, the answer is none other than the Whale Shark. It is 40 ft. tall and weighs more than 25 tons, which makes it one of the biggest fish in the tropical ocean world.
However, the average size of most whale sharks is 39 ft.
Do you know they also have a fascinating body structure? These fish have broad and flattened heads with short enough snouts.
What is more exciting about their appearance? Whale sharks have a unique appearance on their back. Their backs have an interesting checkered pattern with the colors like white, grey, and yellow. Sounds fascinating, right?
But now the question is, where do you find these gigantic cuties? They are mostly found across the world in tropical seas or seas having warm temperatures. They tend to thrive upon a variety of seafood.
Which one is the bigger, Whale Shark or Blue Whale?
Well, let us clear up a bit of confusion regarding the debate about whether the whale shark is the biggest fish in the world or it is the blue whale.
In most children’s GK books, it is mentioned that the blue whale is the biggest fish in the world, which is incorrect partially. They are the biggest of their kind but not as big as the whale sharks.
Though whales look somewhat similar to gigantic fish, are a mammal. On the other hand, sharks are not mammals. They are bigger fish with certain characteristics, which makes them dangerous enough to any other sea animal.
So, blue whales are the biggest mammal in the world. On the contrary, whale sharks have the term “whale” in their name only due to their huge whale-like size; they are not mammals and belong to the group of cartilaginous fish.
Thus, the correct answer to the question, “What is the biggest fish in the world?” is always the whale sharks and not the blue whales.
How dangerous is the Whale Shark?
As already discussed, the biggest fish in the world is the whale shark. Now, a common concern comes to our mind if it is big enough, it must be dangerous of them all.
Also, there is nothing wrong in assuming it, as sharks are infamous for attacking and eating away humans and other animals.
But is the whale shark a threat to humans? Well, to your surprise, despite its huge size, it is not at all deadlier for humans.
Whale sharks are docile enough and allow swimmers and scuba divers to catch a ride. But this practice is not at all encouraged by experts as it can cause a disturbance to the sharks. So, you need to make sure you are not disturbing the whale shark while encountering one.
10 Largest Fish Species Living Today
Many gigantic fish species are ruling over the wet world with their huge structure. Are you wondering, what are they? Well, here, have a look.
Beluga Sturgeon
Also known as Huso Huso, it is one of the endangered fish species. This fish species is a member of the sturgeon family, having nearly 23.6 ft. in length and 1571 kg weight. They are restricted to the area of the Caspian, Black, and Adriatic Seas.
Reef Manta Ray
This one belongs to the ray species and is known as the tenth biggest fish species in the world. This fish is popularly found in the tropical and subtropical marine areas of the East Pacific and West Atlantic Seas. They are 5.5 m long and weigh around 1.4 tons.
Sharptail Mola
Masturus lanceolatus or sharptail mola is a resident of the tropical and temperate sea world. These fish species grow up to a length of 11 ft. and weigh about 2 tons.
Hoodwinker Sunfish
The Hoodwinker Sunfish is abundantly found in the ocean of the Southern hemisphere. It has been known as one of the biggest fish in the world.
Ocean Sunfish
Commonly known as Mola Mola, this fish species is known as the largest living bony fish in the world. Ocean sunfish can reach up to a length of 10.8 ft. and weigh nearly 2.3 tons.
Tiger Shark
Sea Tiger or Galeocerdo cuvier is known as the fourth largest fish species in the world. It reaches up to a length of 16 ft. and weighs nearly 3 tons. A larger population of tiger sharks lives around the Pacific Ocean.
Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
Manta birostris is a ray species, which is recently declared the fifth largest fish species globally. It can reach up to a length of 23 feet and weigh nearly 3 tons.
Great White Shark
The Great White Shark or Carcharodon Carcharias is widely found in the coastal waters of the oceans. They tend to reach up to a length of 20 ft. and weigh around 3.3 tons.
Whale Shark
With a length of 40 ft. and weight of 40 tons, Rhincodon typus is the largest of all other fish species. They are found in warm and tropical oceans and can live up to 70 years.
Basking Shark
Cetorhinus Maximus can reach up to a considerable length of 20-26 ft. and weigh about 19 tons. And this makes this species the second biggest fish in the world.
Biggest Fish Ever Caught
The record of the biggest fish in the world ever caught says that there are more than one fish species. So, do you want to know the biggest fish in the world ever caught? Here, have a look.
- Atlantic Halibut – 418 pound
- Yellowfin Tuna – 427 pound
- Common Stingray – 444 pound
- Warsaw Grouper – 436 pound
- Pacific halibut – 459 pound
- Salmon Shark – 461 pound
- Striped Marlin – 494 pound
- Blue Shark – 528 pound
- Porbeagle Shark – 528 pound
- Sandbar Shark – 529 pound
- Narrowtooth Shark – 533 pound
- Goliath Grouper – 680 pound
- Dusky shark – 764 pound
- Bull Shark – 697 pound
- Thresher Shark – 767 Pound
- Bigeye Thresher Shark – 802 pound
- Pacific Bluefin Tuna – 907 pound
- Mako shark – 1221 pound
- Swordfish – 1182 Pound
- Hammerhead shark – 1280 pound
- Sixgill Shark – 1298 pound
- Pacific Blue Marlin – 1376 pound
- Bluefin Tuna – 1496 pound
- Atlantic Blue Marlin – 1402 pound
- Black Marlin – 1560 pound
- Greenland Shark – 1708 Pound
- Tiger Shark – 1785 pound
- White shark – 2664 pound
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the biggest fish that is not a shark?
A non-shark biggest fish in the world is a particular species of ray known as Manta birostris. This species is also referred to as the giant oceanic manta ray.
Manta rays can extend up to a length of 23 ft. and weighs nearly 3 tons. In some specific cases, they can also extend up to a length of 30 ft., which makes them huge enough.
Which fish is the king of the sea?
So, is there a king in the aquatic world? Yes, there is! The shark can be called the king of fish. But why? Well, they are worth the title.
Shark is the fastest and probably the most dangerous living being in the marine world. They are usually huge and can reach up to a length of 40+ ft. Even the biggest fish in the world is a species of shark. Hence, no place for argument as to why sharks are considered the king of the sea.
What is the biggest freshwater fish in the world?
Not only the oceanic world holds the largest store of giant animals, but also the freshwater world has some large fish species to offer. So, what is the biggest freshwater fish in the world?
The Beluga sturgeon of Russia is currently known as the largest freshwater fish in the world. On the other hand, the white sturgeon is known as the largest freshwater fish in North America.
They usually reach up to a length of 15-20 ft. and weigh about 1 ton, which makes them a huge one among their kind.
What are the largest and smallest fish in the world?
As said before, the largest fish in the world is none other than the whale shark, which is considered the heaviest cartilaginous fish at 40 ft. length. On the other hand, the smallest fish in the world is Angler P. spiniceps, which is nearly 0.2-inches in length.
How big can a pufferfish get?
Pufferfish are not usually too big, but in some cases, they can be. They range from 1-inch pygmy versions to giant ones. These interesting fish with 4 teeth can grow up to 2 ft., which is a striking enough size for them. They are usually scaleless and have a very spiky kind of skin.
What is the biggest catfish in the world?
Catfish usually range in a variety of lengths and sizes. They can be even bigger than you think. The biggest catfish in the world is the Pangasianodon Gigas. They weigh up to 660 lbs and can be long enough up to a length of 10.5 ft.
Are there any bigger catfish that can eat humans?
Catfish are carnivores. But they are not at all dangerous enough to eat humans. It is only a myth that gigantic catfish can eat up a human.
There was a rumor that in October 2008, a large enough catfish was caught in the Great Kali River between Nepal and India, which had been eating swimmers. However, there is no supportive evidence behind the story.
What is the biggest catfish ever caught in the United States?
Blue Catfish or Ictalurus furcatus is the largest catfish species that was ever caught from the Elk City Reservoir in Kansas, USA, in 1998. It had a length of about 61-inches and weighed nearly 123 pounds.
Which one is the biggest Salmon fish ever caught?
The biggest Salmon fish that has been ever caught is the king salmon weighing about 126 pounds. This monster salmon was caught in a fish trap in Petersburg, Alaska, in the year 1949.
Which one is the biggest goldfish ever caught?
Even goldfish do not fall behind in this race of having a giant specimen in their community. According to the Guinness World Records, the longest goldfish in the world was owned by Joris Gijesbers. This fish was measured nearly 18.7 inches from the snout to its tailfin.
What is the biggest angelfish in the world?
Pomacentridae, commonly known as the Gray angelfish, is the biggest angelfish in the world. This fish has a small mouth but large pectoral fins. Also, the pectoral fins are rounded enough to form lunate tail fins.
Usually, angelfish do not exceed the size of 15 cm. But Pomacentridae does reach up to a length of 60 cm.
What is the biggest jellyfish in the world?
The jellyfish that often get stuck to our bodies while swimming in the ocean are smaller ones. But do you know there is a bigger version of them, and it has a size that you can barely imagine?
The Lion’s mane jellyfish or Cyanea Capillata is known as the largest jellyfish in the world. They usually grow up to an average length of 1.5 ft. or 40 cm. But they can easily reach up to 6.5 ft. It is known as Lion’s mane as it has hairy tentacles hanging from its bell.
What is the biggest koi fish in the world?
Well, koi fish are usually neither too big nor too small. They have a very moderate length. But in 2007, the biggest koi fish in the world was found.
It is known as the Big Girl. This koi fish weighed nearly a whopping amount of 90 lbs. Also, it was 4 ft. long, which made it the biggest one of its kind in the world.
Is there a fish bigger than Megalodon?
Megalodon lived 5 million years ago. There is not at all any distinct possibility for them to stay alive now. Around 3.5 million years ago, Otodus megalodon went extinct due to upheaval from the Earth’s crust, cooling seas, and a dip in the species on which it used to munch.
However, Great white sharks evolved with time, and they are more likely to compete with Megalodon.
They even eat the same marine animals as Megalodon did. But Great white sharks have not even achieved a similar size to that of Megalodon.
Hence, there’s no question of any fish being bigger than Megalodon.
Who caught the biggest fish in the world?
As per the IGFA records, the largest fish ever caught was the great white shark. It weighed a massive amount of nearly 2664 pounds.
It was caught off the coast of Ceduna in Australia in 1959. Alfred Dean had caught this fish after encountering 50 minutes of a fight against this one-ton shark.
What is the biggest fish tank in the world?
The Georgia Aquarium, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, is known as the biggest aquarium on Earth. It is located on the Chinese Island, Hengqin, near Macau.
This aquarium is large enough with 12.87 million gallons of water capacity, including both fresh water and saltwater conditions. It houses 120000 animals. Amazing, isn’t it?
Conclusion
Well, the biggest fish in the world, i.e., whale sharks, must be tagged as only the biggest one and not the most dangerous one.
Whale sharks are the lion of the shark community and rule the sea world with their robust and gigantic size, giving chills down the spectator’s spine.
It is impossible to catch such a giant fish, and you can only see replicas of it in some museums.
However, despite their huge size, they do not pose a threat to other animals or humans and feed upon readily available seafood, unlike other gigantic fish species with a monstrous hunger.
