World's biggest freshwater fish - 6-foot stingray

By Daily Mail Reporter

At six feet wide, this stingray seems to measure up as a monster of the deep.

But if you think it's the king of the stingers, think again.

Legend has it that in the rivers of Cambodia there are others with wingspans of 14 feet.

One that didn't get away: Biologist Zeb Hogan is dwarfed by the giant stingray

The pictured stingray was caught in the Maeklong River by U.S. biologist Zeb Hogan, 34, who is on a worldwide quest for the largest freshwater fish.

Mr Hogan is being guided by Rick Humphreys, a Briton who runs a fishing company in Cambodia.

Mr Humphreys has long dreamt of finding an enormous ray and said of this one: 'It's a start. There are a lot bigger ones than that.'

Measuring up nicely: The team take the vital stats of the fish before releasing it

Mr Hogan' research is part of the Megafishes project financed by the National Geographic Society.

The three-year project, which started in 2006, aims to document and protect freshwater giants that weigh at least 200 pounds (91 kilograms) or measure 6 feet (1.83 meters) long.

In the past year, Mr Humphreys and his partner, Wuttichai Khuensuwan, have caught 40 rays on the Ban Pakong and Maeklong Rivers, the largest weighing in at 485 pounds (220 kilograms).

He says he prefers stingrays because of their fighting prowess - they routinely break fishing lines and one took 15 of his men about six hours to bring to the surface.

"Their strength is legendary... When you see them in the flesh, it is quite humbling."

The men will have to be careful, however. Each ray has a barb on the base of its tail that can penetrate human skin and bone and poison the victim.

Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin died in 2006 after his chest was pierced by a stingray barb.

Zeb Hogan examines fish: There are stories of Cambodian fishermen catching rays that weighed 1,100 pounds