Arapaima Fish: Description, Types, Pictures, & Fun Facts

Arapaima Fish: All You Need To Know

The Arapaima is an omnivorous fish belonging to the Animalia family, phylum Chordata, class Actinopterygii, order Osteoglossiformes, and family Arapaimidae. Arapaima is its genus. It is 3 to 4.5 m in length and weighs up to 440 to 485 pounds, with a lifetime of up to 20 years.

An arapaima is the largest freshwater fish that feeds on fish, insects, and seeds. The red tail is the most distinguishing characteristic.

Arapaima are preyed upon by humans and caimans. Red, black, green light-brown colours, as well as scales on the skin, are physical characteristics.

The Arapaima (also known as the pirarucu or paiche) is a massive freshwater fish that lives in South America’s tropical seas.

It is the world’s biggest freshwater fish, weighing hundreds of pounds. They are, nevertheless, devoted parents, as the male arapaima tends to his offspring after they hatch from eggs in his mouth.

Five Incredible Arapaima Fish Facts!

1. Arapaima fish were presented as a hidden ingredient on the popular cooking show Iron Chef America.

2. Big Gulp: Arapaima fish eat utilising the “gulp” approach, which entails sucking food in close to the water’s surface with their big jaws.

3. Arapaima fish are air-breathers, with oxygen bladders that allow them to breathe air for the majority of their lifetimes. Only juvenile arapaima fish have gills.

4. Giant fish: They are the world’s biggest freshwater fish.

5. Bonytongue fish: Their tongues were employed to crush food against the roofs of their jaws, and they were known as bonytongue fish.

Arapaima Fish Classification and Scientific Name

The genus Arapaima gets its name from the tup-guaran term for freshwater fish. In Brazil, they’re known as “pirarucu,” which loosely translates to “red fish.” They are known as “paiche” in Peru.

Various Arapaima Fish Species

Arapaima was originally assumed to be a single-species genus, with just Arapaima gigas. As a result, Arapaima gigas is the most well studied of all the subspecies. However, four distinct species have been discovered, the most recent of which was discovered in Brazil’s Solimoes River.

Arapaima leptosoma is derived from the Greek words leptos, which means “slender,” and soma, which means “body.” It was found in 2013. Arapaima mapae receives its scientific name from the Lago do Amapá in Brazil, where it was discovered.

Arapaima agassizii, the last species, was named after the prominent scientist Louis Agassiz. So far, four Arapaima species have been identified:

1. Arapaima gigas is the most researched of the species. It is actively fished for its flesh, scales, and bony tongue in the Amazon River Basin.

2. Arapaima mapae: This species may grow up to 2 metres long and is located in Brazil’s Lago do Amapá.

3. Arapaima leptosoma: Found in the Solimes River in Brazil in 2013. It differs from other species in that it is quite thin.

4. Arapaima agassizii is named after Louis Agassiz, a scientist. Arapaima gigas has fewer rows of teeth. The Brazilian Amazon is where you’ll find it.

All of the species are endemic to South America, with the majority of them found in Brazil, Peru, and Guyana. They may be found in numerous regions of the Amazon River Basin’s floodplains.

Arapaima Fish Appearance

These fish are long and hefty. They can grow up to 10 feet long, with other accounts saying that they may grow up to 15 feet long (4.7m). They may weigh up to 220 kg (485 lbs).

Their heads are copper-green, and their bodies are black with lighter scales in the middle. Their tails are coated in red scales, thus the name (Pirarucu), which means “red fish.” Piranhas and other natural predators of the jungle are protected by the fish’s massive, bony scales.

Each scale may be up to 6cm in length. They have long, thin bodies with circular, tiny tail fins, which suit them well in the slow-moving rivers where they live. Their backs are covered with dorsal fins. Bonytongue fish, also known as Osteoglossiformes, are named for their bony tongues.

Arapaima Fish Distribution, Population, and Habitat

They prefer freshwater that moves slowly. This sort of water is frequently marshy and oxygen-free, which they don’t mind. These fish use an oxygen bladder to breathe and can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes. They can live for more than 24 hours without water. They do not dive very deep and stay at the top of the water since they need to breathe air continually.

The Arapaima genus has a Data Deficient conservation category due to a lack of data on population size. Despite this, huge arapaima are protected by harvesting and export restrictions. This is due to the fact that huge arapaima have become more difficult to obtain in the wild, owing to overfishing and habitat destruction.

Arapaima Fish Predators and Prey

These fish feed largely on other fish species present in the slow-moving waters where they live. They may submerge themselves beneath their prey and “gulp” at them at the water’s surface. The arapaima generates a suction-like vortex that drives the prey into its mouth.

Their bony tongues and rows of strong teeth smash the victim there. Fruit and seeds that fall near the water’s surface are also known to be eaten by them. Adults have few natural predators due to their strong scale covering. The only species known to prey on them is the rainforest caiman.

Other fish species, notably cichlids, feed on baby arapaima, sometimes known as fry. Humans provide the greatest danger to these fish. They have long been regarded as a food source by indigenous South Americans, and they are also exported in small quantities to chefs and kitchens all over the world. Arapaima populations have declined because of overfishing.

Arapaima Fish Reproduction and Lifespan

Arapaima breeding occurs in tandem with the wet and dry seasons in their natural environment. Drought conditions prevail for half of the year, while flooding prevails for the other half.

The female Arapaima digs a nest with her mate during dry seasons (usually February, March, and April). This nest is excavated into the soft mud and is about 20 inches broad by 8 inches deep. The female may lay up to 50,000 eggs there, which the male fertilises.

The male arapaima nurtures the young in his mouth when they are born. Because the arapaima fry are black in colour, the male’s head darkens to conceal and hide them. To keep them near, the maile arapaima emits a pheromone from his head that attracts and keeps the offspring together.

Meanwhile, the female swims close by, protecting the young from predators. Because the eggs are placed during the dry season, the children hatch and thrive during the rainy season’s flooding.

Because young arapaima still breathe through their gills, both parents assist in aerating the water for them. These gills gradually stop working as they get older.

Arapaima Fish in Fishing and Cooking

This fish, sometimes known as “Amazon cod,” contributed to the indigenous population’s survival. A single fish may feed a large number of people.

The flesh is delicate and boneless, making it ideal for grilling and searing. Arapaima has been overfished to some extent since it is considered a rare delicacy. The species has been subjected to several fishing restrictions.