World News for Students of English

23-03-2015 15:00

This giant stingray could be the biggest freshwater fish ever caught with a line and rod. The creature measures over 14 feet long (4.3 metres), eight feet wide (2.4 metres), and weighs over 800 pounds (363 kilograms). It was caught by American TV nature conservationist Jeff Corwin on the Mae Klong River in Thailand.

“And she’s done all this cool stuff with it. We have genetic samples, we’ve got the measurements, we put in an identification tracking device so we know where she goes. But the best news about this stingray is we found out that she’s pregnant, and that’s great news for this species and for its future.”

After various data was collected, the ray was released back into the river.

As it could not be weighed without harming it, we may never know if it was truly a record beater. Nevertheless, the epic catch could help scientists figure out why these ancient creatures still swim in earth’s fresh waters and hopefully, make sure they still can in the future.

Difficult words: stingray (a kind of a flat fish), creature (animal), conservationist (a person who tries to conserve or protect nature), species (animals of one kind), catch (a thing that you catch).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com