Available April 25, 2023!
Join Zeb Hogan, host of the National Geographic television show
Monster Fish, on the science adventure of a lifetime.
On May 1, 2005, a Thai fisherman caught a truly monstrous Mekong giant
catfish. At 646 pounds, it captured the world's attention, and with awe
and wonder, it was deemed the largest freshwater fish on record. There
was no denying its size, but when biologist and research associate
professor Hogan saw a photo of the fish, he wondered if it really was
the biggest in the world. To his surprise, no one had systematically
sought to answer the question: Which of the giant freshwater species
really was the largest?
Seeking to answer that question has brought Hogan face to face with
massive arapaima and piranha in the Amazon, alligator gar in Texas,
pigeon-eating wels catfish in France, stingrays in Cambodia, and the
gnarled-toothed sawfish in Australia. Part of his scientific adventure
has been captured on Monster Fish, and Hogan now tells the full story
of his 25-year quest to understand the mysteries of some of the oldest,
largest, most bizarre creatures on Earth.
The fate of these giant fish motivates Hogan to understand the various
species he studies. The megafish's numbers are dwindling, and the
majority of them face extinction. In this book, he teams up with
award-winning journalist Stefan Lovgren to tell, for the first time, the
remarkable and troubling story of the world's largest freshwater fish.
It is a story that stretches across the globe, chronicling a race
against the clock to find and protect these ancient leviathans before
they disappear forever.
Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish
combines science, adventure, and wonder to provide insights into the key
role the massive fish of our lakes and rivers play in our past, present,
and future.
