Giant fish thought to be extinct is spotted in the Mekong River

Cambodia: A huge fish in the Mekong River thought to be extinct has been spotted three times in recent years. The giant salmon carp is like a symb...

Cambodia: A huge fish in the Mekong River thought to be extinct has been spotted three times in recent years.

"The giant salmon carp is like a symbol of the Mekong region,” said Chheana Chhut, a researcher at the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The predatory fish can grow up to 4 feet in length, and has a conspicuous knob at the tip of its lower jaw.

A striking patch of yellow surrounds its large eyes.

With the last confirmed sighting in 2005, "this species of fish seems to have disappeared from the Mekong region for decades,” said Chheana, who is a co-author of a study published online Monday in the journal Biological Conservation that documents the recent sightings.