A Golden catfish was caught it, that existed 30 million years ago
A bright yellow catfish floated onto Martin Glatz's boat like a massive, writhing banana with gills.
Glatz, a professional angler, and his twin brother Oliver were fishing on a lake in the Netherlands. He had caught many catfish in his life, but none like this. Initial panic gripped Glatz.
In a direct message to Live Science, Glatz stated, "I have never seen such a catfish before." It continues to overwhelm me.
According to Field & Stream, the enormous species of wels catfish, Silurus glanis, is native to European lakes and rivers.
Because of their enormous size, these fish are well-known. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), they can reach a length of at least 9 feet 2.7 meters and a weight of nearly 300 pounds (130 kilograms).
However, they rarely appear to be as banana-colored as the fish Glatz caught; According to NOAA, the majority of wels catfish have bodies that are dark greenish-black with a few mottled yellow spots.
The lemon-zested catfish probably has leucism, a rare genetic disorder that makes the skin and hair less pigmented.
Live Science previously reported that leucism does not affect the animal's eyes, in contrast to albinism, a similar genetic disorder.
Mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish have all been found to have leucism, which has led to striking sightings like white killer whales and yellow penguins.
A leucistic yellow catfish was discovered in the Mississippi River in Iowa in 2017 and made headlines in the Herald & Review, the local newspaper.
Even though leucistic animals appear strange and beautiful to humans, they typically face difficulties in the wild.
Live Science previously reported that leucistic animals may be easier targets than fully pigmented counterparts due to their lighter, sometimes brighter bodies.
This massive wels catfish appears to have survived an early death and may continue to grow in size.
Glatz released the fish back into the water after taking a few pictures in the hope that it would grow very large and surprise another angler on subsequent fishing trips.