Note: There are comments below saying the fishes depicted here are NOT Chinese paddlefishes. TreasureNature wants to highlight endangered animals, not mis-inform people. So if anybody can help, links to real Chinese paddle fishes are appreciated. Thanks.
Also called the “Giant Panda of the Rivers” due to its critically endangered status, live specimens are rarely seen in the wild since 2003. An Chinese paddlefish was illegally caught in a net in 2007 and was measured at 3.6 meters and 259 kilograms.
The fish inhabits the Yangtze river and is threatened by over-fishing and building of dams. The Chinese government has protected the species since 1983 but that doesn’t stop it from getting nearer to extinction.

Photo from DayLife.com.
(Correction said this is a Yangtzi Sturgeon, Lance seconded him)

(Correction said this is an American paddle fish)
Here is a photo from National Geographic of a Chinese paddle fish…

chinese paddle fish
Interestingly, the National Geographic article on it says that the Chinese also calls the giant fish a sword-billed sturgeon. Chinese paddle fish are found in the Yangtze river. Read more here.

wow…that’s a large one. I love looking at these fish.
Very big fish. I like go fishing. But i’ve never take a big fish like this.
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It’s ashame that some of these giant fish are going extinct – they’re pretty cool.
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I reported about Chinese Paddlefish that can be found Yangtze river in my college class and it is true that despite of the Chinese government’s effort to protect this Giant Panda of the Rivers, it’s population is declining.
Those are some seriously great pictures.
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What gorgeous fishies!
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Is this the same as the “elephant fish”? I hear they can weigh up to 1000+ pounds!
The elephant fish of Australia can attain up to 1.2 meters in length, huge but not even half that of the paddlefish.
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Thanks. Will post about it.
Wow! Seriously, the world needs more bigger fishies like those!
Yep, we need more but, unfortunately, their numbers are declining.
Neither fish in your pictures is a Chinese paddlefish. The first one is a Yangtzi sturgeon. The second is an American paddlefish which is in different genus.
Such misinformation helps the extinction of rare fish.
I thought I was the only 1 that could tell that was a Sturgeon. I hate miss imformed people. being a Breeder of endangored cichlid species. 1 miss labeled fish can be dangourous. Letting people thing that first picture is a paddle fish is worse.
Hi! i just want you to know that i am a fish lover and im amazed of what i saw in your pictures of this large fish..i wanna see more other species of this amazing and really jaw-dropping giant fishes and be informed of their way of living!