Footage of a giant sturgeon leaping alongside a fishing boat has racked up millions of views as it showcases the strength and grace of these so-called living dinosaurs.
Accompanying footage, taken on Yves Beason’s charter on British Columbia’s Fraser River, shows the nearly 10-foot sturgeon breaking the surface in a frantic attempt to shake the hook before rolling and diving out of sight.
Bisson, who runs the Yves Bisson Sturgeon Co., announced via Instagram this week:
“It was a crazy jump right at the ship. It’s incredible that this video already has 55 million views on TikTok and is likely to become my most viewed video of the year soon.”
Bisson told FTW Outdoors on Thursday morning that TikTok views have since grown to more than 57 million. (Click here to view the TikTok version.)
ALSO. Why is a young polar bear ‘removed from the wild’ in Alaska?
The footage is famous, obviously, because of the sturgeon’s size and prehistoric appearance. White sturgeon are 200 million years old and are often described as living dinosaurs.
Onlookers clearly noticed the sturgeon’s bony body plates as the fish rolled over to begin another run.
Beeson told FTW Outdoors the fish was tagged and released as part of an ongoing survey of white sturgeon in the Fraser River. It measured 9 feet, 10 inches, boasted a 54-inch girth, and weighed 550 pounds.
Bison notes on its website that the sturgeon is “the largest and most powerful freshwater fish in the world” and that its customers sometimes battle fish weighing up to 1,000 pounds.
Recreational fishing for sturgeon on the Fraser River is strictly catch and release.
Story originally appeared on For The Win
