Arapaima

The arapaima is a giant fish.

It lives in big rivers in South America. This fish can grow very long. It has green scales and red marks.

It eats fish, fruit, and even small birds. The fish must swim to the top to breathe air. Its scales are very hard and strong. This helps keep the fish safe.

Many people think this fish is amazing.

The arapaima is a giant fish from South America.

It lives in the Amazon River basin. These fish can grow very long. Some reach 3 meters in length. They can also weigh over 100 kg.

The arapaima has a torpedo shape. It has green scales and red marks. Its scales are very tough. They have layers of collagen fibers. This makes them like strong plywood. This armor helps protect the fish.

Most arapaima must breathe air to live. They use a special part called a labyrinth organ. This organ is full of blood vessels. It helps them get oxygen from the air. This is helpful in water with little oxygen.

The male fish is a mouthbrooder. This means he carries the young in his mouth. He protects them there until they are older. The female helps by circling the family. She fends off predators to keep them safe. Many people use this fish for food. In some places, people make leather from its skin.

The arapaima is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.

These giants live in the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. They are known by many names, like pirarucu or paiche. The name pirarucu comes from the Tupi language and means "red fish."

These fish are very important for food in their home regions. However, they have faced hard jobs like overfishing and losing their homes. Because of this, they have been moved to other tropical areas. In these new places, they are sometimes called invasive species.

An arapaima has a sleek, torpedo-shaped body.

Its scales are dark green and have bright red markings. These scales are like a suit of armor. They have a hard outer layer and many layers of collagen fibers inside. These fibers are arranged like plywood to make them very tough. This way of working lets the fish stay strong but still move easily.

To breathe, the fish must come to the surface for air. It uses a special organ called a labyrinth organ. This organ is full of blood vessels that help it take oxygen from the air. This is very helpful when the water has very little oxygen.

Scientists have studied these fish for a long time.

Long ago, people thought there was only one kind of arapaima. Now, experts recognize four different species in the genus. These include the slender arapaima and the Mapa arapaima. Some specimens, like A. agassizii, are known mostly from old drawings. One specimen was even lost during the bombings of World War II. Fossils show that fish like the arapaima lived 23 million years ago. This makes them some of the oldest known freshwater fish.

These fish can grow to incredible sizes.

An arapaima can reach a length of 3.07 meters. That is about 10 feet long! They can also weigh as much as 200 kg. That is about 440 pounds. In the wild, it is hard to find fish larger than 2 meters because of fishing. In some places, like Thailand, people catch fish over 150 kg.

In 2018, floods in Kerala, India, even caused them to escape from farms. This shows how far these fish can travel.

Humans use many parts of the arapaima. The meat is a delicacy and is often called the "cod of the Amazon."

People even use the skin to make leather for shoes and bags. Some people use the bony tongue for medicine or to scrape guarana. The male fish is a mouthbrooder, which means he carries the babies in his mouth. The female helps by circling the family to keep them safe. This shows how much people and these fish are linked. Even the flag of the Ucayali region in Peru shows this fish.

The arapaima is a massive genus of bonytongue fish native to South America.

These giants inhabit the Amazon and Essequibo basins. They are among the largest freshwater fish on Earth. Many people call them pirarucu, a name from the Tupi language meaning "red fish."

In Colombia and Venezuela, they are known as sabalo. Because of their size and importance, they are vital to local food systems. However, they face threats from habitat loss and overfishing. In some tropical regions outside their native range, they are even considered invasive species.

The physical structure of the arapaima is built for both strength and movement.

They have a sleek, torpedo-shaped body with large, blackish-green scales. These scales feature bright red markings. The scales are highly advanced, consisting of a hard, mineralized outer layer. Beneath this layer are several layers of collagen fibers. These fibers use a Bouligand-type arrangement, similar to the structure of plywood. This design allows the scales to be tough yet flexible. This mechanism protects the fish while it remains mobile in the water.

To survive in oxygen-poor environments, the arapaima has developed a unique way to breathe.

While they have gills, they also possess a modified swim bladder. This bladder contains lung-like tissue that allows them to extract oxygen from the air. They also use a labyrinth organ, which is a structure rich in blood vessels. This organ opens into the mouth to help them breathe surface air. This adaptation is essential in oxbow lakes where dissolved oxygen may drop as low as 0.5 ppm. In these low-oxygen conditions, the arapaima becomes a top predator. It can easily hunt lethargic prey that cannot breathe as well.

Scientists have worked to clarify the taxonomy, or the classification, of these fish.

For a long time, researchers thought there was only one species. Today, FishBase recognizes four distinct species in the genus. These include A. agassizii, A. gigas, A. leptosoma, and A. mapae. Some species, like A. agassizii, are known mostly from old drawings. One type specimen was even lost during World War II bombings. Because these fish do not migrate, scientists believe more species may still be hidden in the Amazon Basin. Fossil evidence shows that similar species existed 23 million years ago in Colombia.

The scale of these fish is truly impressive.

An arapaima can reach lengths of over 3 meters, or about 10 feet. Some exceptional cases have even exceeded 2.6 meters in length. In terms of weight, they can reach 200 kg, which is roughly 440 pounds. Because of overfishing, it is now rare to find wild fish larger than 2 meters. However, in places like Thailand, fishermen still land specimens exceeding 150 kg. These massive sizes make them a significant part of the local ecosystem and economy.

Humans have developed many ways to interact with the arapaima.

The meat is a delicacy often called the "cod of the Amazon." Locals often salt and dry the meat to store it without refrigeration. Beyond food, the fish provides other resources. The bony tongue is used for medicine or to scrape guarana. The scales can even be used as nail files. Designers now use the skin as leather for shoes and handbags. Even the Department of Ucayali in Peru features the fish on its flag and seal.

Protecting the arapaima is a complex challenge for conservationists.

In the past, commercial fishing was very intense. Between 1918 and 1924, about 7,000 tons were taken annually. This led to a fishing ban in Brazil in 1996. A 2014 study showed that many populations were depleted or overexploited. However, new management strategies are working. In some areas, populations grew from 2,500 in 1999 to over 170,000 in 2017. This shows that sustainable management can help these ancient giants recover.