Alligator Fish, One Of The Most Frightening And Largest Freshwater Fish

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Video: Alligator Fish, One Of The Most Frightening And Largest Freshwater Fish

Video: Alligator Fish, One Of The Most Frightening And Largest Freshwater Fish
Video: 11 Scariest Freshwater Fish 2024, March
Alligator Fish, One Of The Most Frightening And Largest Freshwater Fish
Alligator Fish, One Of The Most Frightening And Largest Freshwater Fish
Anonim

Freshwater fish that looks worse and more dangerous than any ordinary pike and does not live in exotic countries, but in the United States

Alligator fish, one of the most frightening and largest freshwater fish - fish, shellfish, Mississippi shellfish, alligator pike
Alligator fish, one of the most frightening and largest freshwater fish - fish, shellfish, Mississippi shellfish, alligator pike

Outwardly, this predatory monster looks like a hybrid of an alligator and a fish, for which it is logically called an alligator pike. Its official name mississippi shell (Atractosteus spatula).

With the exception of some fish found in tropical countries, the alligator pike is one of the most frightening and largest freshwater fish in the world. But it can also be found in the salty sea waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and the fish does not feel any discomfort.

In appearance, it resembles an ancient prehistoric monster that lived next to the dinosaurs. Indeed, the oldest fossilized remains of a similar fish date back about 100 million years.

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Modern specimens can reach a length of 3 meters and weigh up to 150 kg, but there are legends that in the past, fish and larger were caught. This fish has a long mouth with a number of sharp needle-shaped teeth and often likes to swim near the surface and breathe, sticking its large muzzle out of the water. Yes, this fish breathes good atmospheric air.

At these moments, eyewitnesses often mistake the alligator pike for a real alligator, or even for a mythical sea monster if they see this fish in the ocean.

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The alligator pike lives in North and Central America, mainly in the waters of the Mississippi River. It can also be found in the rivers of Mexico. The fish does not like fast currents, but prefers warm stagnant or almost stagnant water.

Nowadays, this fish is found much less often than before, and it has no value for humans, its meat is inedible, as it is too tough and dry, and still very bony. In addition, its insides and caviar are very toxic to humans. Occasionally, local Indians catch alligator pike and still eat, but this is more for the sake of tradition.

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Because of all this, Americans for many years considered the alligator pike a "trash fish" or damaging to fishing, so they tried to exterminate it at every opportunity. It was only in the 1980s that they realized it, but the population of the alligato pike had by that time been severely affected.

Nowadays, this huge and toothy monster is the ultimate dream for all American fishermen, it is very prestigious to catch it, and if you make a stuffed animal and hang it on the wall, then everyone around you will die of envy. Fortunately, some states have introduced a complete ban on fishing for this fish.

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Due to its size, carnivorousness, sharp teeth and gluttony, a logical question arises whether this monster attacks a person. Yes, it does. True, such cases are very rare and have not yet been fatal.

There is another strange incident associated with the alligator pike. In 2008, a strange, toothed fish was caught in the Caspian Sea (region of Turkmenistan), unlike the usual fish in these waters. In length, it reached almost 2 meters and the fact of its capture was later confirmed by two representatives of the local fish protection.

Some of the dried parts of this fish were later sent to the institute for study, so that an answer could be given to what species this fish belongs to. Scientists agreed that this is some kind of large carapace, but they found it difficult to name the exact type.

According to some reports, it was the Mississippi shellfish that was caught in the Caspian Sea. How he got there is a completely different question. Often, alligator pike is kept in private ponds or aquariums, so it is possible that it was thrown into the sea by one of the would-be aquarists.

Moreover, it is possible that the fish was not alone and maybe a whole population of these pike alligators has been living there for a long time.

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And the other day the alligator pike was again found in an inappropriate place, namely on the British coast of South Wales (Great Britain). A local resident stumbled upon the corpse of a large toothy creature when she was walking along the shore with her dog. The fish was no more than a meter long and was not immediately recognized as a Mississippi shell.

Finding such a fish on the shores of Wales is like finding piranhas in a Yakut lake, and so far no one has put forward a logical version of how the alligator pike ended up there. Either these fish have already settled in the English Channel, or it was thrown out by one of the notorious aquarists.

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