Tall tale of giant stingray circles...(s migratory than originally believed. Th...)

Hogan and his team have tagged 18 of this species of stingrays (Himantura chaophraya) as part of the recently established research project on the stingray in central Thailand for the University of Nevada, Reno, the Thai Department of Fisheries, the sport-fishing company Fishsiam and the National Geographic Society sponsored Megafishes Project. This species is listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

If he can get more funding for the project, Hogan hopes to eventually tag 40-50 stingrays for the research study, the first ever ecological study of the giant freshwater stingray which was discovered only 20 years ago. Freshwater giant stingrays are among the largest of the approximately 200 species of rays. They can be found in a handful of rivers in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

"We aim to determine its conservation status, its abundance, its maximum size, whether or not it's a true freshwater species, whether or not regional populations interact and its migratory patterns and critical habitat," he said.

"It's clear that this species of giant freshwater stingray has the potential to be the largest freshwater fish in the world," Hogan said. The current record holder for world's largest freshwater fish is a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish caught by fishermen in northern Thailand in 2005.

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