[ Pangasianodon Gigas]
📏 Size and Weight
- Grows up to 10 feet (3 meters) long
- Can weigh 650 pounds (295 kg)
- One of the largest freshwater fish in the world
🌍 Where They Live
- Found only in the Mekong River in Southeast Asia
- Countries along the river include Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam
🏞️ Habitat
- Lives in freshwater
- Prefers deep, wide river channels
- Migrates long distances during certain seasons
🥗 What They Eat
- Herbivores
- Eat algae, river plants, and tiny plant matter
- Young fish may nibble on small organisms, but adults eat only plants
🎨 What They Look Like
- Back: dark gray to silvery
- Belly: yellowish to white
- Body: smooth and thick with no scales
- No teeth at all
- Barbels (whiskers):
- Babies have them
- They shrink and disappear as the fish grows older
⭐ Fun Facts
- They are toothless, so they suck up soft plants instead of biting
- They grow very fast when young
- They are sometimes called “gentle giants” because they are peaceful
- They can live over 60 years
- They are critically endangered, meaning they need protection
