Goliath fish attacked a man. The goliath tiger fish is a predator of the Congo River. Character and breeding

Goliath fish, also called tiger fish, is one of the most unusual freshwater fish, it has a specific appearance, because of which it is often referred to as nothing more than a “river monster”. Goliath in Latin means "giant", and literally the name of the tiger fish goliath is translated as "giant water dog".

The nature of this inhabitant of the rivers is consistent with his appearance. Goliath has unique teeth - these are large and sharp fangs. The tiger fish is large and ferocious, its powerful body is covered with large scales of a silvery hue, sometimes giving off a golden tint.

Where does the goliath fish live?

Goliath tiger fish are almost impossible to meet in a simple home aquarium, but they are often kept in zoos, as well as in aquariums at exhibitions. Under natural conditions, this giant monster can grow up to 150 centimeters, and its weight is about 50 kilograms.

Looking at the fangs of a goliath, it becomes clear that not only plants are present in her diet. Tiger fish is dangerous and very active predator, which is somewhat reminiscent of a piranha, but, unlike this predator, the goliath is larger. With his large fangs, he is able to tear whole pieces of flesh from the body of victims.

It is impossible to keep such a pet in a regular aquarium, primarily because of its size. After all, a goliath requires an aquarium with a volume not less than 3 thousand liters. But in the content of tiger fish is not too whimsical. The key issues are the large aquarium size as well as the large volume of food.

This species was first described in the middle of the century before last. Its habitat is almost all the territory of the African continent from Egypt to the south. It is found most often in the following waters:

• Congo.
• Senegal.
• Lake Tanganyika.

A large tiger predator loves to live in large lakes and rivers, prefers to live in packs with representatives of its own species or with other predators from the water depths.

Such predators characterized by insatiability and greed, in natural conditions, she can hunt:

• on fish;
• other underwater abodes;
• crocodiles, etc.

Were fixed cases of attacks on people but they are not as common.

External description of the goliath tiger fish

If we talk about the external characteristics of goliath fish, then they are as follows:

Average tiger fish lives about 12-15 years.

Features of keeping goliath fish

As already mentioned, tiger fish is not intended for keeping at home. Most often in captivity, they are kept in species or commercial aquariums.

Goliath tiger fish in natural conditions mainly feed on fish and small mammals, but this does not mean at all that they will not eat detritus or food of plant origin. They will not disdain different products, this fish can be called omnivorous.

• Fish fillet.
• Shrimps.
• Live small fish.
• Ground meat.

At first, the goliath will eat only live food, but in the process of getting used to new conditions, it can switch to artificial or frozen food. Fry can even eat flakes, but over time they will need to be transferred to granules and pellets.

But it is worth knowing that if feeding with live food is too frequent, the goliath fish will not eat anything else, so its diet should be mixed.

As for the requirements for keeping in the aquarium, we have already said that the aquarium should be large, its minimum volume should be from 2 thousand or 3 thousand liters. We must not forget about the duct and a powerful filtration system, since the manner of feeding the fish is such that it will tear live food apart, and this does not contribute to the purity of the water.

And tiger fish are used to living in rivers with a large current, respectively, it should be provided for in the aquarium too. If we talk about the decor of the aquarium, then we can limit ourselves to the following:

• stones;
• sand;
• big snags.

But green landscapes are not particularly needed here, especially since such an inhabitant requires a lot of free space.

Character and breeding

If we talk about cohabitation with other species, then the nature of the goliath is not so aggressive, but we must not forget about her appetites, respectively, her neighbors risk becoming food.

Therefore, tiger goliaths in species aquariums are best keep apart or with other large freshwater species, such as arapaima.

In their aquarium very rarely bred, most often fry are caught in reservoirs and then grown in artificial conditions. And in their natural habitat, they spawn for only a few days, in January or December during the rainy season.

For this purpose, they migrate from large rivers to small tributaries. In shallow places, females lay a lot of eggs in dense vegetation. The hatched fry then live in warm reservoirs, where there is a lot of food, and then they are taken out by the current to large reservoirs. Also, males differ from females in that they much larger and bulkier.

So, we examined the key characteristics of the goliath tiger fish, which mainly lives either in natural conditions or in large species aquariums. But for home breeding such a fish unlikely to fit.

One of the most unusual freshwater inhabitants is the goliath fish. She rightfully deserved the name "river monster", since her appearance can only cause fear and horror. Keeping such a fish in a home aquarium is almost impossible, but it is often bred in zoos and exhibition aquariums.

This fish has more teeth

Description of the fish

An adult in length can reach 150 cm, and its weight varies from 45 to 50 kg. At the same time, males are much larger than females. Such dimensions are possessed by specimens living in the wild. Aquarium inhabitants of this species rarely exceed 75 cm in length. Life expectancy is from 12 to 15 years.

Goliath tiger fish has an elongated body with rather strong muscles and pointed fins, but it is not the body itself that is of most interest, but the head of the tiger goliath. It has a large size and a large mouth with sharp teeth. On the upper and lower jaws there are 8 teeth, shaped like fangs. Their main purpose is not to chew food, but to catch the victim. Throughout life, teeth can fall out several times, but new ones always grow in place of the old ones.

In this video you will learn more about this fish:

Living in the wild

The large goliath tigerfish was first described in 1861. The main habitat is the entire territory of Africa. Most often this species can be found in rivers:

• Senegal;
• Congo;

And also fish is found in Lake Tanganyika. Goliath tiger fish prefers to choose large reservoirs for life. It lives in packs with its relatives and similar predators.

In Africa, goliath fishing is extremely popular among both locals and tourists. For the latter, this is more entertainment than greed.

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keeping in the aquarium and feeding

Goliath, also called hydrocin, can be kept in an aquarium. They are not suitable for home aquariums. solely because of their large size and need for large amounts of food. It is possible to keep young individuals, taking into account the fact that as they grow up, they will have to be disposed of.

Little is needed to keep in a viewing aquarium, as these fish are unpretentious. There will also be no problems in feeding, since the goliath therapon belongs to the category of omnivorous fish. In an aquarium, fish fillets are suitable as food., small fish, shrimp and minced meat. The only requirement is that the diet should be balanced.

Interesting fact! Photographs have been taken showing the goliath catching birds in the air as they fly low over the water. That is, this fish has the ability to jump out of the water for a short period of time in order to catch prey.

Due to its habit of living in packs, the giant goliath requires a lot of free space in the aquarium. The minimum size of the latter must be at least 3000 liters. In addition, a good filtration system must be taken care of, as fish have a habit of tearing food apart when eating, which contributes to water pollution. In the wild, the African goliath is accustomed to living in strong currents, so it needs to be provided in an aquarium as well. From decorative details, it is better to use large stones and snags, and choose sand for the soil. Algae will be redundant.

The nature of the goliath may not necessarily be aggressive, but due to a good appetite, their aquarium neighbors can often lose their lives. The best neighborhood option is other predators that can defend themselves from their attack.

Breeding difficulties

In an aquarium, these inhabitants can look very exciting, but, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to breed them in such conditions. Fry are grown in most cases in natural reservoirs.

There are 2 months to breed this fish

The best time for spawning is the rainy season. This time is two months:

• January;
• December.

To do this, they swim from large rivers to small tributaries. Females try to lay their eggs in calm places where dense vegetation prevails. Born fry live in fairly warm water, where there is a lot of available food. Over time, they are carried by the current to larger bodies of water.

Goliath is a large predator that has a rather interesting appearance that attracts attention. But at the same time, the fish is quite dangerous, so you need to be careful when catching it. If you manage to catch it, then you can cook it for food. It is good fried and boiled. As spices, it is recommended to use basil and curry, as well as add salt according to taste preferences.

What got on Jeremy Wade's hook is a big Goliath tiger fish from the perciformes order. It is considered much more dangerous than piranha, and thanks to its impressive size, the fish even attacks crocodiles.

The specimen that Wade caught weighs 45 kg and is almost 2 meters long. "This is a very, very dangerous fish. You need to be careful with it, get distracted, and it will bite off your finger, or even worse," the man said.

The Goliath tigerfish, a carnivorous species of fish weighing up to 154 pounds and up to 5 feet long, was recently featured on Animal Planet's new program River Monsters. Widely known as a fierce-looking creature with sharp teeth, the Goliath fish is just one example of the wide variety of fish species found in the Congo River, 80% of which are found nowhere else in the world.

The "monster fish" is able to swim in rough waters and can easily grab smaller fish that cannot swim against the current. She is also capable of picking up the low frequency vibrations emitted by her prey.

The Congo River is home to 686 species of fish. In an article describing the wonders of the Congo, the International Wildlife Fund has documented the existence of exotic fish living in its waters. The elephant fish has an electric organ in its tail, which is used to navigate and communicate with its own kind. National Geographic magazine reports that this fish also has a long trunk to sift through the sediment at the bottom of the river in search of food.

The intimidating appearance of this fish inspires fear not only among the locals. But also for any sane person. Under the description, this fish first came in 1861. They named the fish in honor of the huge warrior Goliath from the Bible. Dark stripes on the sides, and often a golden sheen and size give rise to the name Tigerfish. Locals call this fish with silvery scales mbenga.

External Description

Fishing for such a predator definitely cannot be called a quiet hunt. Few intrepid anglers and thrill-seekers can boast such prey.

It lives among similar predators, and both for protection and for food it has huge fangs. Fangs complicate the hunt for this predator, it gnaws or simply tears any fishing line. To solve this problem, a thin steel line is usually used. Only with such a strong fishing line is it really possible to catch this freshwater monster. The number of fangs in an adult is 16, small in number, but powerful in action, they tear the victim quickly and easily. Throughout life, fangs can fall out, and new, sharp ones grow in their place.

They inspire the size of the fish: the length reaches 180 cm, and the weight over 50 kg. But scientists suggest that the length can reach 2 meters. Goliath has a powerful body and a strong head. Although the fish is large, it is quite agile and fast. The pointed fins are either orange or red. The scales are difficult to break through, this is an excellent defense against other predators. The mouth opens wider than other predatory underwater inhabitants, and this gives more chances to win when attacked. There are five types of tiger fish, and the goliath is considered the largest. Often the monster is compared to a piranha, but the piranha does not reach such a huge size.

Food

There were cases attacks on crocodiles. It can eat an animal or a person that has fallen into the water. Typically, a predator feeds on smaller organisms. Goliath either hunts for prey, or catches weak fish that can not cope with the turbulent current. The main food is kamba. The ability to capture low-frequency vibrations does not bode well for mining. In other words - if the predator has heard the vibrations and is hungry, there is no chance of salvation. But such ferocity does not guarantee a complete rejection of plant foods.

habitats

For the sake of such prey, you will have to go to central Africa, or rather, to the Congo River basin, where there are the largest number of them. The Congo itself is the second longest river in the world. As for fullness, the river takes first place. Fishing is flourishing here, because not only Goliath, but also many other fish swim in the Congo basin. Many are listed in the Red Book and, accordingly, are considered very rare. Scientists have a little less than a thousand species living in this river. Such a catch can be a reward for searching and catching for several weeks.

Main habitats:

Basically, in the places listed, it can be found, but this creature does not swim outside the continent of Africa.

Life span is 12-15 years old. Females spawn for several days, this occurs in December-January. The fish first swim in the tributaries of the river. Spawning occurs in shallow water and in places with high vegetation. The fry grow just in places with enough food and without blades from most predators. And gradually gaining strength and weight, they are carried by the current to deeper places.

In captivity, goliaths are kept mainly in commercial aquariums. In them, the fish do not reach such large sizes. On average, the length of an aquarium dweller fluctuates from 50 to 75 centimeters. Mostly they can be seen in exhibition aquariums. The main rules for content are:

• the presence of an aquarium (at least 2,500 liters);
• to feed the tiger fish you need a constant huge amount of food. This is mainly fish and adapted feed;
• because of the love of the flow, you will need to come up with a system with a duct;
• comfortable temperature is 23-26 degrees.

Coexistence with other species is possible, but they must be able to defend themselves. In captivity, fish do not breed, so this issue will also have to be considered.

survival in nature

Adult individuals, despite the fact that they can fully exist on their own, prefer to gather in flocks. Tiger fish can be collected as one species, and with other individuals.

Scientists believe Goliath is a contemporary of dinosaurs. The fact is, in the waters where the goliath lives, there is a huge rivalry for survival. And for the sake of life, the goliath evolved into such a dangerous creature. But not only other predators should be afraid of tiger fish. Wide fishing in catching fish gives less and less chance of continuing existence. In addition to fishing, some people use chemicals to destroy vegetation near the banks of the river for the sake of the catch. On future fry, respectively, this affects negatively. At the moment, environmentalists with the local government are trying to solve this problem.

The African tetra family includes such a remarkable species as a large tiger fish. It is also called goliath tiger fish, goliath tiger, giant hydrocin. The locals call this freshwater predator Mbenga.

It lives in Central Africa. This is a vast area covering the Conco River and its tributaries. The largest of them is the Lualaba River. This water system also includes the world's longest freshwater lake Tanganyika and lakes Wimba (Upemba) and Kisale.

In 2011, it was reported that there is not one type of tiger fish, but four more in addition to the well-known one. Two of them live in Tanganyika, and two in the Congo River. In principle, this can be allowed, since both the river and the lake have a very large depth, which has been studied quite poorly. But all these species differ little from each other and only specialists can visually distinguish them from each other.

The appearance of large tiger fish is quite awesome. In length, an adult can reach 1.8 meters with a weight of 50 kg. In a large mouth, there are 32 teeth, which in appearance resemble fangs. The teeth are spaced a short distance apart, and this gives the mouth a somewhat unusual and creepy look.

With its sharp teeth, a river predator grabs a prey, tears it apart and swallows it without chewing, since its fanged mouth is not adapted for this. In place of a lost tooth, a new one grows very quickly, and this happens throughout life.

It should be noted that a large tiger fish has excellent vision, hearing and senses prey by high-frequency vibrations. There are rumors, not officially confirmed, that representatives of this species, if hungry, can attack crocodiles. Such information raises great doubts, but, in principle, if the reptile is sick and weak, it may be attacked.

The diet includes any fish that the Mbenga is able to overcome and swallow. A favorite place for hunting is the aquatic environment near the rapids. In such places, water eddies begin to affect the prey, and it becomes less attentive. Having found the prey, the freshwater predator rushes at it. If he fails to immediately catch the prey, then he pursues it.

There is a lot of information about the attack of large tiger fish on people. They do occasionally attack swimmers and therefore have a reputation for bloodthirsty aggressors. The locals have long since endowed them with a mythical status. It is assumed that Mbenga attacks people only when it is inhabited by an evil spirit that lives in the water. He enters the fish and bends it to his will.

Representatives of the species serve as an object of sport fishing in Central Africa. They like to keep in exhibition aquariums. But this is a difficult matter, as powerful filtration and water temperatures in the range of 23 to 26 degrees Celsius are needed.