Species in the Mekong River
An abundance of life
The Mekong River basin is estimated to house at least 1,300 species of fish, a level of diversity that is rivalled only by the Amazon River basin - which is over 6 times the size of the Mekong basin.
Amongst these species are some of the world's largest and most charismatic fish, including:
- giant carp (Catlocarpio siamensis)
- Mekong stingray (Dasyatis laosensis)
- largetooth sawfish (Pristis microdon)
- Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) - one of the world's largest freshwater fish
Beyond fish, the Mekong basin is also home to a tremendous diversity of endangered animals:
- giant ibis (Pseudibis gigantea)
- Mekong wagtail (Motacilla samveasnae)
- Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
- Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).
