Bony fish · Osteoglossiformes · Arapaimidae

Arapaima

Arapaima gigas

Data Deficient

There is not enough information to assess its risk of extinction. See full glossary

The arapaima, also known as the paiche or pirarucu, is an osteoglossiform fish of the family Arapaimidae. It usually lives in dense, oxygen-poor rivers throughout the Amazon basin, and has accordingly acquired the ability to breathe out of water, which lets it survive in areas with little vegetation. It is also one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, reaching weights of up to 200 kilograms and lengths of roughly more than three metres.

Weight

up to 200 kg

Size

up to 4.5 m

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

FreshwaterCarnivore Solitary Fish Freshwater

11countries 4parks

Fun facts

fisiologíaIt is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world and must surface regularly to breathe air through a kind of primitive lung.
It is an obligate air breather: it comes to the surface to gulp air with a distinctive sound that carries a long way and gives its position away to fishermen.
It builds a nest about 15 cm deep and 50 cm across on sandy bottoms, spawns in April and May and guards the eggs and the young.
The figure of 4.5 m that is often quoted comes from a single second-hand report from the first half of the nineteenth century.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
Habitat & environment: Floodplains, lakes and large tributaries of the Amazon basin; it moves onto the flooded plain with the rising water and returns to the lakes at low water
Sexual maturity: At around 4 or 5 years old and about 150 cm; length at first maturity 149.5 cm (range 145-154 cm)

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arapaima_gigas