Common Name: Golden Mahseer
Scientific Name: Tor putitora
Nepali Name: Sahar (शाहार)
Size: 2.74m (max length)

Also known as Himalayan Mahseer; Golden Mahseer is considered as an endangered species and falls under the  IUCN Red List. There are a various viewpoints on the etymology of the term Masheer that ranges from “Maha – big; seer – head”, “Maha – big; seer – tiger” to Massulak or Mahasalka meaning big scaled.

It has shiny golden yellow scales with fins showing a tint of reddish- golden color. An adult Golden Masheer is olive green at the top of the head and back. The lip is thicker and are beset with horny tubercle.  The scales of the lateral line is marked with dark color at their base. With the length that can reach up to 1.8m and weigh over 54kg; these fish are considered as a popular game fish  

It is found in fast-moving water, pools, of the Himalayan foothills, especially in rivers like Kaligandaki, Trisuli, Sunkoshi, Narayani, Karnali rivers. It has now been limited to certain rivers due to destructive ways of fishing ( electro-fishing, dynamite, poisoning etc), overfishing, illegal mining, hydroelectric plants, habitat degradation and loss. 

Please feel free to comment below if the above species has been misidentified.