Lipetsk monster
One such water monster showed up some time ago in the waters of the Lipetsk Sea (a large local reservoir). According to the stories of many eyewitnesses, it really was a real monster of incredible size. It ruled in this reservoir with complete impunity and brazenly: it devoured the local game, domestic animals, including dogs. And once a local resident Evgenia Mulemina brought her pet to the water - a piglet named Yasha. He began to swim, because he loved to splash in the water. According to the woman, this time Yasha did not want to go ashore. Then she began to approach him to take the pig out of the water. And at that moment, right in front of her, something huge with a splash emerged for a moment to the surface and immediately grabbed the pig. Yashka squealed and disappeared with the monster under the water.
In general, the monster did real atrocities. Once in the summer at night, high school students came to the shore of the Lipetsk reservoir. And then everyone went into the water to swim. One of them, named Alexander, sailed farther than the others. At some point, the water next to him went in waves, and the young man felt a strong blow to his thigh. He immediately swam to shore. And when he went to land, he saw a bloody wound on his leg.
One of the local fishermen had a chance to observe the water monster somehow. Semyon Lvov (that's his name) went fishing one morning, as usual, but that day something didn't bite at all. It seemed to the man that all the fish were hiding, as if frightened by something. He, of course, heard the stories of people that in these places they saw a terrible water giant, but he did not take it seriously. The fisherman continued to watch the float. At some point, he drew attention to a huge dark shape gliding through the water about fifteen meters from the shore. Suddenly, it rose above the water with its entire huge body, splashing water around it, and immediately dived back and disappeared into the depths. The fisherman stood for some time in a daze from what he saw, and when he came to his senses, he realized that, most likely, it was a giant catfish. The size of his body was indeed unbelievable. According to Semyon, the fish was about ten meters long.
Repeatedly attempts were made to catch and neutralize the dangerous aquatic inhabitant of the Lipetsk reservoir, but all was in vain. One amateur photographer managed to catch a waterfowl monster in the lens. He even thought he had filmed a small whale. When the researchers analyzed his pictures, they agreed that this, of course, was not a whale at all, but a catfish of incredible size. As a result, this catfish was identified as the largest of those giants that have ever caught the eye of eyewitnesses. The Lipetsk monster was at least seven meters long, and all the previous huge catfish reached a maximum of five meters in length.
Photos from open sources
Scientists on alert: an inexorably changing ecological situation led to the fact that the behavior of these giants becomes unpredictable. Of course, catfish are not sharks or crocodiles, but they are predators and therefore represent a certain danger. (website)
Unpredictable killer catfish
Catfish live up to hundreds of years and are perfectly adapted to living conditions. However, being primarily underwater orderlies, they often become killers.
Photos from open sources
These giants prefer quiet waters, where they most often become the prey of fishermen. For example, in the Kapchagai reservoir (Kazakhstan) a few years ago they caught a catfish 2 m 74 cm long and weighing more than a centner. Our "domestic" specimens can weigh three hundred kilograms, reaching a length of four to five meters. There are cases when fishermen saw much larger catfish. There is even a monument to one of these giants on Lake Issyk-Kul. This is the bone skeleton of the natural mouth of a huge catfish, which looks like an arch, under which any adult can freely pass.
Catfish always ambush
Terrible fish can be seen with your own eyes in the Kazakhstani river Ilek. That is why it is officially forbidden to swim there. The whole reality of the danger to life that these creatures carry is not difficult to imagine, remembering the tragic incident in the Voronezh reservoir (which took place about fifteen years ago), when a gigantic catfish attacked a child and a girl. But in Khabarovsk, many people still remember the incident that happened about half a century ago, when a giant catfish dragged a little boy under water. Enraged residents unsuccessfully tried to catch the monster, but only the military managed to track it down and shoot it with machine guns.
Photos from open sources
Catfish prefer to hunt by ambush. They pounce on their prey from below and drag it to the depths. About amazing story once told the Ukrainian media. At a fifteen-meter depth near the island of Khortitsa, divers found a sunken ship, in the hole of which a five-meter catfish was stuck. In its entrails were found the remains of three passengers of the sunken ship - Polish citizens. It is noteworthy that the local population did not consider given fact amazing. According to local residents, toothy monsters often attack people and even fishing boats...
Lipetsk monster
One of these monsters once appeared in the Matyr reservoir, also called the Lipetsk Sea. Many eyewitnesses said that this monster was simply incredible in size. It impudently and with impunity hosted in the reservoir and devoured the game that was found there, as well as domestic animals, including dogs. One of the local fishermen - Semyon Lvov - in the morning, as usual, went fishing. Suddenly he saw the outline of something huge and dark sliding in the water. The next moment, the body of a gigantic fish rose into the air, splashing water, and immediately dived back, disappeared into the depths. When he came to his senses, the fisherman realized that he had seen an incredibly large catfish: it was about ten meters long.
Photos from open sources
Dangerous carrion catfish
The rivers of Thailand are also famous for such unusual fish. So, almost three centners were caught in the Mekong. Since this catch was officially recorded at the state level, the Thai catfish was recognized as the world's largest freshwater fish.
Photos from open sources
For Russian rivers, hundred-kilogram mustachioed creatures are common. Buried in the silt, catfish become almost invisible in the water. But already in the old days, the villagers knew well how dangerous these huge toothy creatures were. Before the women began to wash clothes in the river, their husbands carefully examined the reservoir in order to make sure that there were no large catfish ...
Usually these fish hunt early in the morning or in the evening, so at this time you should not swim in unfamiliar places. Although catfish are mostly scavengers and eat dead organisms, you should be careful. The geography of distribution of these fish is very wide: catfish live in almost any fresh water bodies of our planet. Therefore, deciding to swim in an unfamiliar place, be careful!
The giant freshwater fish catfish has long excited the minds of people around the world. It is often said about him that he willingly eats domestic animals and birds. This monster even frightens naughty children who bathe for a long time and do not want to get out of the water.
The giant freshwater fish catfish has long haunted the minds of people around the world.
In 2012, a giant catfish was allegedly caught on Kapchagay in Kazakhstan. His weight was supposedly 1500 kg. The photo that witnesses provided as evidence clearly showed that a whale shark was lying on the ground, and not a Kapchagai catfish. Considering that sharks are not found in reservoirs, the picture can be regarded as fake.
The legend about catfish, which are found in the Rostov-on-Don region and attack people, is quite widespread. So far, no facts have been found that indicate the reliability of this information. On the other side, on the territory of Russia there is a huge catfish, which can reach a weight of more than 100 kg.
Previously, almost no one believed in fairy tales about these mustachioed cannibal fish, but relatively recently events occurred that even skeptics stopped laughing at. From 1998 to 2007, fatal attacks on people were recorded on the Kali River. It is assumed that a species of catfish is to blame for the attacks, which locals nicknamed "gunch". These incidents occurred in 3 villages on the banks of the Kali River in India and Nepal. A television series was dedicated to killer catfish documentary, which was first shown on October 22, 2008. The Cali River episode was also seen on Animal Planet's River Monsters series.
Goonch is a bottom fish that loves big rivers with strong currents and avoids small bodies of water. It eats mainly small fish, frogs, crustaceans and aquatic insects. These "killer catfish" can migrate in search of areas of the reservoir containing more food. It is most willing to move long distances during the rainy season, when the water becomes cloudy.
Previously, goonch was considered a harmless fish. The local population willingly catches, cooks and eats it.
Catfish-eater (video)
Mysterious death of people
The alleged catfish attack occurred in April 1998, when at approximately 13:00 local time, 17-year-old Dil Bahadur, while swimming in the river, disappeared under water in front of his girlfriend and several witnesses. During the search, which lasted 3 days and covered 5 km, no remains were found. 3 months later, at Dharma Ghat, a little boy disappeared underwater in front of his father, who could not save him. The body was never found. The final attack happened in 2007 when an 18-year-old boy from Nepal was dragged underwater. strange creature, which, according to eyewitnesses, was something like a pig.
British biologist Jeremy Wade volunteered to find and neutralize an unknown monster that eats people. He was initially skeptical of the rumors of killer catfish, but was later intrigued when he learned that the attacks all took place in a specific area.
The locals informed Wade that the creature probably became interested in human flesh because of the half-burned human remains that were dumped into the river after the funeral pyres (and the catfish is known to be a scavenger).
The legend about catfish, which are found in the Rostov-on-Don region and attack people, is quite widespread. After studying the section of the river where the supposedly eaten Dil Bahadur disappeared, Wade ruled out the possibility of the guy's death due to falling into a whirlpool, since there was no strong current in this place. A little later, a kilometer from this site, another incident occurred when the alleged catfish ate a baby cattle, which entered the water to a depth of 1 m. Wade suggested that if this creature eats even such animals, then it must weigh at least 100- 150 kg.
River monsters (video)
Jeremy Wade investigation
The possibility of an attack by crocodiles was ruled out because sea alligators did not swim so far inland, the mouth of the gharial was not designed to attack people and large animals, and the swamp crocodile, which is considered the most common in India, avoided the Kali River because of its cold water. In addition, alligators in these places have never been seen on land.
A bull shark attack seemed most likely, but an underwater study of the river by marine biologist Rick Rosenthal showed that such a fish is not found here. In addition, Wade believed that the shark attack must have been accompanied by the appearance of her dorsal fin above the surface of the water. During the research, a catfish was found, 1 m long, which Wade unsuccessfully tried to catch. Through the study of the river, it became clear that the alleged "man-eating fish" are found here in abundance and some of them reach human size.
After failed attempt to catch a catfish with a bait, it was decided to create a funeral pyre to test the legend common among the locals. Humans turned out to be suitable bait, and the next day we managed to catch a record gunch, almost 2 m long and weighing 75.5 kg, which was 3 times the weight of the average fish of this species. Wade suggested that this predatory catfish is big and strong enough to eat small child. But in an interview, he went on record saying that there were probably larger specimens. Wade eventually concluded that the goonch he caught was not big enough to eat people.
Catfish ( Silurus) is the largest predatory fish that lives in freshwater lakes and rivers. It belongs to the class of ray-finned fish, the catfish order, the catfish family.
Catfish fish - description, characteristics and photos
The catfish fish has a long, flattened and rather powerful body, which is devoid of scales and covered with a layer of mucus, which provides gliding and maneuverability of the fish in the water. The wide head of the catfish usually has a flattened shape. On it are small, slightly blind eyes of a catfish. The wide mouth of the fish is "armed" with small, but present in in large numbers teeth. Almost all catfish have one feature: long mustaches are located on the jaws of this predatory fish. Catfish's whiskers are the most important tactile organ with which the fish finds food. Depending on the variety, which scientists number about 500, appearance catfish, its color and size can vary significantly.
How long does a catfish live?
The life expectancy of a catfish, which lives in natural and environmentally acceptable conditions, reaches 30, 50, or even 60 years. There are data from ichthyologists who have recorded individuals that have reached the age of 75 years.
What does catfish eat?
Catfish in nature prefers to lead a bottom lifestyle, lying in pits with a large accumulation of silt deposits. In nutrition, he is unpretentious: catfish happily eats plant remains, small fish, larvae, shells, crayfish or birds accidentally caught in a pond, and other living creatures. Catfish also feed on carrion. Often he "hunts" prey near old and forgotten fishing nets. A large hungry catfish can even eat or that accidentally entered the water.
Where does catfish live?
Catfish is quite widespread in the waters of Europe and Asia, while living in rivers flowing into the seas, it often swims into their salty waters. Unfortunately, in such conditions, only one species of catfish, the channel catfish, can exist for a long time, the rest of the individuals from this family are not adapted to such a “salty” life.
Types of catfish - photos and names
There are many interesting and unusual representatives in the catfish family.
- Common catfish (European) ( Silurus glanis)
can reach a length of up to 5 meters and weigh up to 400 kg. It lives in the rivers and lakes of Europe and Russia. Cases of attacks on people are described.
- American catfish (pygmy catfish) ( Ameiurus nebulosus)
lives in bodies of water South America. The length of the American catfish does not exceed a meter, weight - 7-10 kg. The mouth of this variety is surprisingly arranged: the teeth are arranged in several rows, and each row differs in their size - from smaller to larger. This feature allows the American catfish to capture prey, as if with a steel vice.
- Malapterurus electricus)
lives in African waters and rivers Arab countries. Its ability to generate powerful charges of electricity helps to successfully hunt even large prey. There is evidence that electric catfish killed animals that accidentally wandered into a pond for a drink with a discharge of current.
Numerous aquarium varieties are widely known among catfish: tarakatum, platidoras, glass catfish, cuckoo catfish, shifter catfish and others. And their variety of colors is simply amazing:
Glass Indian catfish
From the Dnipropetrovsk region, I not only surprised, but also reminded that many stories are connected with these river dwellers, which ended rather badly for people. The Internet is "teeming" with fishing stories and stories about the attack of cannibal catfish. And fans of "horror stories", of course, argue that this is not fiction. Allegedly, even in the Middle Ages, the catfish was known for the fact that, in addition to its usual food, it was not averse to feasting on sheep and dogs, and sometimes having a snack on a careless bather. A giant five-meter fish can easily swallow a child whole or drown an adult.
There are a lot of facts about the attacks of man-eating catfish. For example, in 1613, in the Pressburg area, a catfish swallowed a child. In 1754, the corpse of a 7-year-old girl was found in the belly of a captured giant, and in late XVIII century in the belly huge fish the body of an adult woman was found. It was said that large fish snatched linen and rags from their hands when women washed in rivers, that huge catfish drowned dogs and calves and attacked people, especially children. There is a legend in Siberia about a catfish that drowned a bear swimming across the river.
Reading it is truly creepy. One story is scarier than the other. However, experts believe that this is nothing more than fiction. Dnepropetrovsk ichthyologist Oleg Marenkov helped debunk the myths of "KP in Ukraine".
Myth number 1 Catfish can attack and eat a person
It is not true. A duck, a dog, a rat, a bird, a muskrat - yes, but a person - no.
The mouth of the catfish is large, and the pharynx is small, so even if it is the size of a crocodile, he cannot swallow a person, says the ichthyologist. - As for the attack, the catfish can grab the hand, hit with its tail, but this is rather a method of self-defense and protection of offspring.
According to Marenkov, during the spawning period, from the end of May to June, a couple of catfish are looking for an approximately two-meter depression. The female lays eggs and guards it, while the male guards the territory around the female and future catfish. how a real man, the catfish dares from the "nest" of all who can be a threat. And if one of the swimmers approaches, then the defender will rush to drive him away.
In the spawning places of catfish, the croaking of frogs is not even heard, since the male eats them away so as not to interfere with their "singing" to raise offspring.
Myth #2 Bracelets and rings found in the stomachs of catfish are from people they ate
Jewelry in the belly of catfish is indeed found, but they get there in a completely different way.
Catfish picks up all the lost shiny objects from the bottom, believing that this is some kind of delicacy, - Marenkov smiles. - In addition to bracelets and rings, you can also find tin cans and shoes in the fish's stomach. But all this is picked up from the bottom, and not extracted as a result of eating a person.
Myth #3 Catfish attack spearfishers
Again, this is not an attack, but a defense. It seems that due to the huge number of underwater hunters, the catfish began to defend themselves. Therefore, it is possible that, seeing a person with a weapon, a catfish can hit him with his tail or push his forehead. By this he makes it clear: go away, you are an uninvited guest
Myth #4 Catfish can attack on the shore
Catfish do swim up to the shore, but they do it, as a rule, at night. In search of prey, he can attack, but only on a small animal.
He can grab a passing muskrat or a dog, says Marenkov. - He can also profit from carp living near the shore or other small fish.
Myth #5: Catfish eat the corpses of drowned people.
In addition to sparkles, sometimes human fingers are found in the stomachs of catfish. These are the remains of the drowned, which they feed on.
The body decomposes, becomes soft, the catfish takes it for carrion, - explains the ichthyologist. - Moreover, the stronger the smell, the more attractive it is for fish. Some anglers use the rotten intestines of domestic animals as bait for catfish. Experienced catfish - anglers deliberately spoil the bait so that it has a "smell". It can be rotten meat or fish, cut into pieces and impaled on a hook.
There was such a case
A girl and a boy became a victim of catfish
There is no confirmation of what happened in August 1996 on the Lower Don in the village of Kulakovo, Voronezh region, but local residents claim that then the catfish pulled a 10-year-old boy to the bottom. The child went for a swim with a friend. Swimming to the other side, something big and incomprehensible began to drag him down, under the water. A friend rushed to help, but almost choked himself. The boy's body was never found.
Then the attack on the girl happened. A couple of newlyweds who came to relax went for a boat ride. In the middle of the river, the girl decided to swim. Everything happened very quickly. The water surface around him instantly became seething and a huge mouth swallowed the girl. The guy in the boat didn't even have time to react.
The villagers allegedly arranged a hunt for a river animal, caught it with a net and killed it on the shore. Opening the belly, found human teeth, teeth and a girl's wedding ring ...
For a quarter of a century, the story of the Khortytsia murderers has been living.
In early 1991, an unprecedented stir among the inhabitants of Zaporozhye was caused by an article in the newspaper "Komsolskaya Znamya" (aka "KoZa") called "The Dnieper Killers". According to the authors of the note, catfish appeared near the island of Khortytsya, which not only devour everything and everyone indiscriminately, but even attack ships.
“About a dozen attacks on motor and sailing boats were recorded,” Koza wrote. “On board one of these tugboats, which sank as a result of such a ram, the culprit himself got stuck - a hefty catfish: five meters long and half a ton in weight. And the worst thing is that the remains of three people were found in the stomach of a catfish.
There was talk that the remains belonged to Polish tourists who died during the crash of a cruise ship a year before the discovery of a terrible fish. However, later it turned out that under two pseudonyms - the authors of the note hide one person - an engineer of one of the Zaporozhye research institutes Viktor Korolev. He admitted that he invented the story, because in the same "KoZ" a story about huge rats was printed, in which everyone also believed. Nevertheless, a quarter of a century later, the story of the terrible Khortitsky catfish is still being told.
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