Giant Fish of British Columbia

 So we've already seen a number of bits of charismatic megafauna seen by me on my trip to British Columbia; whales, bears and so on.....and that is what one tends to think of when one thinks of north american megafauna: bears, bison, deer (and moose, caribou and so forth), wolves and so on, on the coasts, elephant seals, whales and sea lions, down south perhaps 'gators.

The more educated naturalist (ie you, my readers) is probably also thinking of some of the lesser known american megabeasts - the American Crocodile, the jaguars and ocelots of the South West, the various sheep species.

As we've touched on before we are not seeing the whole picture of course. The north american landscape is missing a number of its giants: its elephants (the mammoths and mastodon), its wild horses and the ground sloths and glyptodonts.

But even those who envisage this total picture often forget another class of giant american creature; the megafish which swim in its great rivers. If there is one thing I'm not, it is neglectful of big fish and accordingly I present to you my favourite creature in all British Columbia, North America's biggest fish - the White Sturgeon of the Fraser River, Accipenser transmontanus..........in mid air.







I know there is no scale object but this fish is, by the way, 7 feet 3 inches long. I know that because we put a tape measure on it when my co-angler had landed it. It was, for the avoidance of doubt, subsequently released. I will have more soon on these giant, ancient, beauties but in the meantime just drink in the power and majesty......and if you really can't wait FC has some Gulf Sturgeon aerials in his back catalogue.