African tiger fish. River monster - goliath tiger fish: description, characteristics and interesting facts. Habitat in nature
On our planet, including in the underwater world, you can meet truly amazing creatures. One such creature is the goliath tiger fish or Hydrocynus goliath, which translates from Latin as "giant water dog". The article will talk about where this unusual freshwater fish lives in nature, how it looks, what it eats. We will also find out if this river monster can be kept in a home aquarium.
Her homeland is Africa. The most comfortable environment for the life of a giant are large rivers and lakes: Congo, Senegal, Nile, Omo and Tanganyika. Not found in other places.
Giant hydrocines live in flocks with individuals of their own species or similar ones. They are greedy and insatiable. More bloodthirsty than them, perhaps, only piranhas. They catch fish, aquatic animals and can even attack a crocodile. There are cases of attacks on humans, but these are most likely accidents.
The first description was given to her in 1861.
The locals call the fish mbenga. Fishing on it is not only a popular activity for them, but also a popular entertainment for visitors. This is not an easy task, since no fishing line can withstand the onslaught of her teeth. For fishing, special very strong steel leashes are used.
What does goliath tiger fish look like?
Her body is powerful, strong, oblong. It is covered with large scales, cast in silver, and sometimes gold. The fins are small, pointed, red or bright orange.
The head is large with a huge mouth, in which there are 16 large sharp fangs, similar in size to the teeth of a white shark (8 at the top and 8 at the bottom). With these fangs, the goliath tears its prey to pieces. During life, they are replaced by new ones, and the old ones fall out.
The fish has excellent hearing, and it can feel low-frequency vibrations from prey. And it is not difficult for her to move in water with a rapid current.
This representative of the African family can grow up to 180 cm. The weight of such a fish is 50 kg. Males are larger than females. For these huge dimensions, she was given the nickname "Goliath", which, as we know, was a great almost three-meter warrior. And she is brindle because of the horizontal dark stripes on the sides, very similar to tiger ones.
Giants live from 12 to 15 years.
Scientists consider the goliath a contemporary of the dinosaurs. In places where he lives, it is very difficult to survive. That is why the fish went through its evolutionary path and became a dangerous creature. However, not only predators, but also humans became a threat to her. Mass capture, chemical poisoning of coastal vegetation significantly reduced the abundance of the species. Local authorities and environmental services are trying to rectify the situation.
What does goliath tiger fish eat?
Under natural conditions, food for her are small mammals, fish (mainly kamba, which is abundant in the Congo). She does not disdain vegetation with detritus. And in case of severe hunger, it even attacks crocodiles.
A powerful goliath can simply move calmly against the current, and weaker inhabitants who are not capable of this will fall into his mouth themselves.
Can Hydrocynus goliath be kept in an aquarium?
In the world of aquaristics, this fish is known. She is considered pretty. However, due to its size and flocking lifestyle, it needs huge volumes (from 3 thousand liters) and a lot of food.
The most powerful filter that can create a turbulent current will also not interfere. That is why it is not possible to keep her at home.
But in zoos and exhibition aquariums, it is found. They are always configured with powerful filtration and shelters are equipped. At the bottom most often lies sand, stones and snags. Plants are rare. The temperature there is 23-26 °C, the acidity is 6.5-7.5 pH.
Few neighbors can survive next to a goliath, so most often they are equipped with a species aquarium. Or plant large and protected fish like arapaima.
Some argue that juveniles can be kept in a home aquarium, but they grow quickly and need to be attached somewhere later. The diet in captivity needs to be diversified: live fish, minced meat, shrimp, fish fillet, freezing and artificial food (granular and pellets, these are balls and cylinders from various components).
About breeding goliath tiger fish
They do not breed in captivity. Fry are caught in the habitats of these fish.
In nature, spawning occurs during the rainy season (December-January) and lasts only a few days. Goliaths move from large rivers to small tributaries, where females lay a lot of eggs in shallow water in thickets. For hatched fry, conditions are ideal here: safety, warm water and an abundance of food. They grow up, and gradually they are carried back to large rivers.
It might be interesting
Catching these terrible freshwater fish is often compared to bear hunting in the taiga. Catching a goliath is not only a dangerous adventure, but also a matter of honor. Anglers from all over the world come to Africa for this.
One of the lucky ones to catch a giant tiger goliath was 52-year-old Jeremy Wide, a freshwater fish expert and host of River Monsters. Traveling to the hard-to-reach places of the Congo and eight days of waiting were rewarded. In his hands was a copy of 1.5 meters and 70 kilograms. Photos of a fearless man holding a dangerous fish with his bare hands are all over the Internet.
Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, it is impossible to settle the goliath tiger fish in your home aquarium. And it is unlikely that it will be possible to visit its habitats. But if suddenly you are lucky enough to be in a zoo or at an exhibition with this "exhibit", be sure to look at it. It's worth it.
Popular science video about goliath fish:
Hydrocynus goliath boulenger,
area
It is found in Africa - in the Congo River basin, the Lualaba rivers, lakes Upemba and Tanganyika.
Description
Reaches 1.33 m in length and weight 50 kg. Predator, has 32 teeth resembling fangs. The fish is popular as an object of sport fishing in Africa.
Known in the aquarium hobby. It is kept in exhibition aquariums with shelters and powerful filtration.
Water temperature 23-26 ° C, water pH - 6.5-7.5.
Notes
Links
- Drawing in the Biological Encyclopedic Dictionary (tab. 33, No. 7)
Hydrocynus brevis (lat.) - a species of predatory ray-finned fish from the family of African tetras of the haraciniformes order.
HydrocinesHydrocynes, or tiger fish (lat. Hydrocynus) - a genus of large ray-finned fish of the African tetra family. The genus name comes from the ancient Greek words ὕδωρ ("water") + κύων ("dog"). Endemic to Africa. The genus contains five species, all popularly known as "African tigerfish" due to their ferocious predatory behavior and other characteristics that make them excellent targets for sport fishing. Representatives of the genus Hydrocynus are the only freshwater fish capable of grabbing birds flying over the water. They reach a length of 25 cm (H. tanzaniae) to 133 cm and a weight of about 50 kg (large tiger fish).
Goliath (disambiguation)Goliath is a Philistine giant warrior in the Old Testament.
Goliath is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by Marvel Comics.
Goliath is a 2016 Amazon Video legal drama television series.
"Goliath" is an ultra-longwave radio station in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
"Goliath" - German ground tracked self-propelled mine from the Second World War.
Goliath is an elephant tortoise, considered the largest land tortoise in the world.
Goliaths are a genus of very large beetles from the bronze subfamily.
Goliath is the world's largest frog.
The Goliath tarantula is a genus of Theraphosa of the family Real tarantulas.
Goliath is a German automotive company that existed in 1928-1959.
Hydrocin Goliath - "big tiger fish", a species of large predatory fish from Central Africa.
HMS Goliath - British ships named after Goliath.
Goliath is a special type of very heavy and strong rails used on Belgian railways in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but, despite a number of advantages, due to the high cost of production and laying, it was not widely used.
Goliath is a character in the American television series Knight Rider and the computer games Knight Rider: The Game and Knight Rider 2.
Goliath - combat bipedal walker robot from the StarCraft computer game;
Goliath is a semi-autonomous armed drone from Homefront.
Goliath is a tank from the computer games Unreal Tournament 2004 and Unreal Tournament 3.
Goliath - holder for lighting lamp type E40.
The Goliath is a Farman F.60 Goliath twin-engine heavy bomber designed in 1918 under the direction of engineer Fishe at the Farman factories.
Congo (river)Congo (Zaire, Lualaba) - a river in Central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (partially flows along its borders with the Republic of the Congo and Angola), the deepest and second longest river in Africa, the second river in terms of water content in the world after the Amazon and the most deepest river in the world. In the upper reaches (above the city of Kisangani) is called Lualaba. The largest river that crosses the equator twice. The annual flow is 1318.2 km³, which is more than 5 times less than the annual flow of the Amazon.
MbengaMbenga (island) (Beqa) - an island in the Pacific Ocean
Mbenga (pygmies) (Mbenga) - a group of pygmy peoples of West Africa
Mbenga (language) (Mbenga) - a reconstructed substrate language of the Pygmies from the Mbenga group, later switched to the Aka and Baka languages
Mbenga (fish) - same as Big Tiger Fish
Didier Ilunga-Mbenga is a Belgian basketball player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Nile crocodileThe Nile crocodile (lat. Crocodylus niloticus) is a large reptile of the family of real crocodiles. The largest of the three crocodile species found in Africa, and the second largest in the world, after the combed crocodile. It occupies a top position in the aquatic and semi-aquatic ecosystems of Africa. Adults are able to cope with such large and strong animals as black rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffe, African buffalo, eland and lion. In addition, due to its habitat, size and strength, the Nile crocodile is notorious as a man-eating crocodile. In ancient times, it was an object of fear and worship. Until now, it remains, perhaps, the most famous species of the family of true crocodiles. The number of this species is relatively high and stable, although populations in some countries are under threat of extinction.
common tiger fishCommon tiger fish (lat. Hydrocynus vittatus), in the Congo it is called mbamba - a species of predatory ray-finned fish from the family of African tetras of the order of characins. Reaches a length of up to 105 cm and a weight of up to 28 kg. The body is covered with cycloid scales. It has large canine-shaped grasping teeth. Maturation occurs at the age of 8. Prefers warm, oxygen-rich water of large rivers and lakes.
Sanga (forest)Sanga (Sangha) is a tropical forest and national park located on both banks of the African Sanga Regina, a tributary of the Congo River. The forest is located on the territory of three states at once: the Republic of the Congo in the east, the Central African Republic in the central part and Cameroon in the west.
The forest includes three national parks:
Lobeke in Cameroon, has had the status of a park since 2001, the area is 2178.54 km².
Dzanga Sanga in the Central African Republic, has had the status of a park since 1990 and is divided into two parts: the northern area of 495 km² and the southern area of 1220 km². These two parts of the nature reserve are separated by the Sanga River.
Nubale-Ndoki in the Republic of the Congo, with an area of 3865.92 km², has had the status of a park since 1993. In 2000, an agreement was signed on cooperation between the three countries in the field of creating a biosphere reserve, and in 2007 the Sanga National Park Institute was founded. In 2012, it was included in the World Heritage List with a total area of 7542.86 km² and a buffer zone of 17879.5 km². The international name of the park is Sangha Trinational (it can be translated as "Sangha of the three nations").
Mackerel hydrolicMackerel hydrolic (lat. Hydrolycus scomberoides), also payara - a species of ray-finned fish from the cynodont family (Cynodontidae), Lives in the upper reaches of the Paragua, Churun Rivers and other rivers of the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela. It is an object of sport fishing.
It is widely distributed in the Amazon basin, where it is a commercial fish. Payara's popularity among sport fishermen is due to the fact that it is one of the most difficult freshwater fish to catch and desperately resists when trying to pull it out of the water. This feature is due to the fact that the favorite habitats and hunting of this fish are rapids and waterfalls.
It can reach a length of 117 cm and a mass of 17.8 kg. Ichthyophagus, eats piranhas in abundance.
The most notable features of the fish are the two pairs of fangs that reside in its lower jaw. A pair of them is visible, the second is in the jaw in a folded state and is invisible in the photographs. In large individuals, the fangs on the protruding lower jaw reach a length of 10-15 centimeters, giving them a frightening appearance, for which this animal received the nickname "vampire fish". However, the vampire fish does not drink the blood of its victims. There are special holes in the upper jaw, thanks to which the two longest fangs located on its lower jaw do not pierce the upper jaw.
The mackerel hydrolic feeds on almost any fish that is smaller in size, including piranhas and their own kind. He attacks the victim from above, piercing it with fangs, and then swallowing it whole. Payara is able to devour prey, the size of which is half of its own size. In Venezuela, this fish is called "cachorra". The world record for catching this fish is 39 pounds or about 18 kilograms.
The inhabitants of the Amazon and Orinoco basins highly appreciate the meat of this fish. Its first zoological description was published in 1816. Payara has gained popularity in recent years as an aquarium fish. She loves to eat live goldfish. For this reason, aquarists recommend keeping the payara only with large fish species that are large enough not to become its prey.
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.
In the underwater world, as well as on our many inhabited planet, you can meet truly amazing and unique creatures. One of them is the goliath tiger fish.
Big tiger fish photo
Tiger fish - goliath belongs to the group of fish, to the class of ray-finned fish, a subclass of new-finned fish. Fish - goliath from the family - African tetras and the genus Tiger fish. Big tiger fish - or otherwise huge hydrocine (lat. Hydrocynus goliath) hydrocynus - dog, giant goliath which can be translated as Gagan water dog, locals call this fish mbenga - this fish is the most dangerous predator of the African Congo River. Because of the horizontal dark stripes on the sides of a predator similar to a tiger, it is called a brindle. And because of the impressive dimensions of the body, people gave the nickname "Galiath", which, as is well known, was a great and powerful war of a huge 3-meter height. These fish have a very strong powerful body of an oblong shape. The body of the goliath fish is covered with large scales that have a sheen of silver and sometimes gold. The fins of individuals of this genus are small, pointed and have a bright orange or red color. Representatives of a large tiger fish, has an impressive size, the length of an adult can reach 1.80 meters in length and have a mass of 50 kg. Males are larger in size than females.
Goliath fish is a real monster whose appearance is shivering, fish of this genus have large sharp fangs and a huge mouth, tiger fish are often compared with piranha, they are very similar in their gluttony and bloodthirstiness. Goliath fish, with the help of its 16 large and sharp fangs, 8 fangs each on the lower and upper jaws, calmly pulls out whole pieces of flesh from the carcass of its victim. During life, the old teeth of the predator are replaced by new ones. River monsters live from 12 to 15 years.
You can meet this fish throughout Africa. Most often, tiger fish is found in rivers such as the Congo, Senigal, Omo and Nile. Goliath fish loves large rivers and lakes and prefers to swim with its relatives or live with other predators of rivers and lakes. Individuals of tiger fish have excellent hearing, thanks to which they can hear low-frequency vibrations emanating from the victim. This gluttonous predator preys on various mammals that inhabit rivers and lakes, mainly cambu fish, which are innumerable in the Congo River, but sometimes even crocodiles in attacks of debilitating hunger. This fish feeds not only on animal food, but also on plant food, having such a huge size, the tiger fish does not disdain anything. The most powerful predator hydrocin can swim serenely against the current, and less powerful inhabitants, who are not capable of this, will calmly fall into his mouth. In Africa, there have been cases of goliath fish attacking people, but this was most likely done by mistake.
In African countries, fishing for tiger fish by tourists and locals is extremely popular and is comparable to bear hunting in the forests.
Hydrocynus goliath can be kept in a large aquarium from 3 thousand liters with a powerful water filter that is able to recreate the restless seething current. Therefore, keeping this fish in the house is not possible. But in exhibition aquariums and zoos, the galliaf is found.
The Congo is the second largest and deepest river in the world after the Amazon. This river crosses the equator 2 times. It is characterized by the fact that in its basin there are more than 20 species of small fish and up to 875 representatives of large species, including various other representatives of flora and fauna. Large representatives include giant monitor lizards, large crocodiles, turtles, snakes, etc. About 250 species are rare species, and some of them are still unknown to science.
This river is indeed characterized by a strong and powerful current, which has a serious impact on the evolutionary development of many fish species. Some species of fish are not able to resist the current, therefore they accumulate in certain sectors, as well as in certain areas. Thanks to such factors, many unusual representatives of flora and fauna appeared in the river basin. Among the monsters that inhabit the Congo River basin, there are those that can easily cope with the flow of the river. Goliath fish is exactly the kind of fish that feels comfortable in a powerful current, instilling fear and horror in the underwater inhabitants of the Congo River.
Potential victims, unable to withstand the conditions of a powerful current, themselves fall into the mouth of this powerful and strong fish.
The fish got its name due to its huge size, which characterized the warrior Goliath, who had a height of 2 meters 89 cm. Due to the presence of horizontally located dark stripes on the back, this fish is also called "tiger". For the first time it became known about this river monster in 1861. This predator can be found in large and large rivers and lakes, such as the Congo River, Nile, Senegal, Omo, as well as in Lake Tanganyik. Naturally, such a river monster chooses large reservoirs for itself. The predator leads a pack lifestyle, both with its relatives and with predators of other species. As a rule, males are much larger than females.
Goliath fish: description
This fish has a strong elongated body, covered with large scales, silvery in color. The fins are red or bright orange, with pointed edges. In other words, the body of a goliath fish is the characteristic body of a predator. Its parameters are:
- The length is about 2 meters.
- The fish weighs 50 kg, or even more.
- The predator lives for about 15 years.
- The head is large, as is the large mouth.
- The number of teeth is 32, sharp as a razor, which allows the fish to simply tear potential prey into pieces without chewing. New teeth grow in place of lost teeth.
- The predator has excellent hearing, as well as the ability to feel the victim by low-frequency vibrations.
- The fish navigates the strong current with confidence.
Goliath tiger fish: what does it eat
The fish is omnivorous and in its voracity and bloodthirstiness it can easily be compared with piranha fish. The main source of the diet is fish, as well as plant foods and detritus, including small mammals.
There have been cases and it has been documented attacks of this fish on crocodiles and even on humans, when this predator lacked food.
The female goliath fish spawns during the rainy season, from December to January. To spawn, the fish move to smaller tributaries, where females lay a huge amount of eggs, hiding it in dense thickets of aquatic vegetation, in shallow water. When goliath fry are born, very comfortable conditions await them: warm water and an abundance of food. As they grow older, they have to move to large rivers with intense currents. Moreover, after the end of the rainy season, some small tributaries of a large river may dry up.
Goliath fish is considered the most dangerous and scary freshwater fish, and fishing for it is equated with bear hunting. In this regard, many local anglers practice catching this monster and consider it a kind of duty. In addition to local fishermen, many amateur fishermen from all over the world come to the banks of the Congo River every year to “tickle” their nerves and test themselves in extreme conditions. Such fishing is a real, sometimes dangerous adventure. Despite this, goliath fish is a desirable trophy for any angler.
Still, it is not so easy to catch a tiger fish, because its sharp teeth can bite through the fishing line of any diameter. Therefore, fishing is carried out using durable leashes made of steel and other materials. This is the only way to expect success. This type of fishing should be prepared in advance and carefully.
Jeremy Wade, who is an expert on river fish species and host of the TV program River Monsters, managed to catch this giant predator. And this is all thanks to experience, as this person has been fishing since childhood. During his 52 years of life, he managed to visit various parts of our planet, where he managed to catch unusual representatives of the underwater world.
To catch such a coveted prey, the monster hunter had to spend more than a week visiting the most inaccessible places of the Congo River. For his stubbornness, he was rewarded, and he came across a fish weighing 70 kg and up to one and a half meters long.
In the photo you can see which giant Jeremy caught. The photo also shows what powerful teeth and what a huge mouth this huge predator has. It remains only to admire the experience and fearlessness of this man. What is worth it just to visit such difficult conditions of the Congo River, when dangerous surprises lie in wait for you at every step.