Arapaima
Encyclopedia
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche (Arapaima gigas) is a South America
n tropical freshwater
fish. It is a living fossil
and one of the largest freshwater fish
es in the world.
Arapaima can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6.6 ft), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and over 100 kg (220 lbs). The often cited maximum length of 4.5 m (14.8 ft) comes from a single second-hand-report from the first half of the nineteenth century, and is not confirmed. The maximum-cited weight for the species is 200 kg (440 lbs). As one of the most sought after food fish species in South America
, it is often captured primarily by handheld nets for export, by spearfishing
for local consumption, and, consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m are seldom found in the wild today.
ian government due to its commercial extinction
. Fishing is allowed only in certain remote areas of the Amazon basin
, and must be catch-and-release, or harvesting by native peoples for consumption. Because the arapaima produces "large, boneless fish steaks", it is considered a delicacy; some 7000 tons per year were taken from 1918 to 1924, the height of its commercial fishing. The demand for the arapaima has led to farming of the fish by the "ribeirinhos" (as Brazilians call those living on the riverbanks).
. This fish is therefore able to survive in oxbow lakes with dissolved oxygen as low as 0.5 ppm. In the wetlands of the Araguaia, one of the most important refuges for this species, it is the top predator in such lakes during the low water season, when the lakes are isolated from the rivers and oxygen levels drop, rendering its prey lethargic and vulnerable.
ing that occurs. The arapaima lays its eggs during the months when the water levels are low or beginning to rise. They build a nest approximately 50 cm wide and 15 cm deep, usually in muddy bottomed areas. As the water rises the eggs hatch and the offspring have the flood season to prosper, during the months of May to August. Therefore, the yearly spawning is regulated seasonally. The arapaima male is supposed to be a mouthbrooder
, like its relative the Osteoglossum
, meaning the young are protected in its mouth until they are older. The female arapaima helps to protect the male and the young by circling them and fending off potential predators.
In his book The Whispering Land, naturalist Gerald Durrell reports hearing the tale in Argentina that female arapaima have been seen secreting a white substance from a gland in the head and that their young have been noted seemingly feeding on the substance.
Villavieja Formation of Colombia
.
The arapaima is hunted and utilized in many ways by local human populations. Arapaima are harpooned or caught in large nets, and the meat is said to be delicious. Since the arapaima needs to swim up to breathe air, traditional arapaima fishers often catch them by first harpooning them and then clubbing them dead. One individual can yield as much as 70 kg of meat.
The arapaima has also been introduced for fishing in Thailand
and Malaysia. Fishing for this species in Thailand can be done in several lakes, where one often sees arapaima over 150 kg landed and then released.
Special care is needed when dealing with these fish as, since they are large, they can be hard to handle. With catch and release after the fish is landed, it must be held for 5 minutes until it takes a breath. The fish has a large blood vessel running down its spine and lifting the fish clear of the water for trophy shots can rupture this vessel causing death. Arapaimas are also known to leap out of the water if they feel constrained by their environment or harassed.
It is also considered an aquarium
fish, although it obviously requires a large tank and ample resources. In addition, this animal appears in the pet trade, although keeping an arapaima correctly requires a large tank and can prove quite difficult.
The tongue of this fish is thought to have medicinal qualities in South America
. It is dried and combined with guarana
bark, which is grated and mixed into water. Doses of this are given to kill intestinal worms. In addition, the arapaima's bony tongue
is often used to scrape cylinders of dried guarana
, an ingredient in some beverages, and the bony scales are used as nail files.
In July 2009, some villagers who live around Kenyir Lake
in Terengganu
, Malaysia, reported sighting the arapaima gigas. The "Kenyir Monster," or "dragon fish" as the locals call it, was claimed to be responsible for the mysterious drowning of two men on June 17.
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n tropical freshwater
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
fish. It is a living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
and one of the largest freshwater fish
Freshwater fish
Freshwater fish are fish that spend some or all of their lives in freshwater, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 0.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, the most obvious being the difference in levels of salinity...
es in the world.
Anatomy and morphology
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, it is often captured primarily by handheld nets for export, by spearfishing
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
for local consumption, and, consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m are seldom found in the wild today.
Fishing
Commercial fishing of the arapaima has been banned by the BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian government due to its commercial extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
. Fishing is allowed only in certain remote areas of the Amazon basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
, and must be catch-and-release, or harvesting by native peoples for consumption. Because the arapaima produces "large, boneless fish steaks", it is considered a delicacy; some 7000 tons per year were taken from 1918 to 1924, the height of its commercial fishing. The demand for the arapaima has led to farming of the fish by the "ribeirinhos" (as Brazilians call those living on the riverbanks).
Ecology
The diet of the arapaima consists of fish, crustaceans, and other small animals. The fish is an air-breather, using its labyrinth organ, which is rich in blood vessels and opens into the fish's mouth, an advantage in oxygen-deprived water that is often found in the Amazon RiverAmazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
. This fish is therefore able to survive in oxbow lakes with dissolved oxygen as low as 0.5 ppm. In the wetlands of the Araguaia, one of the most important refuges for this species, it is the top predator in such lakes during the low water season, when the lakes are isolated from the rivers and oxygen levels drop, rendering its prey lethargic and vulnerable.
Reproduction
Due to the geographic range that arapaima inhabit, the animal's life cycle is greatly affected by the seasonal floodFlood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing that occurs. The arapaima lays its eggs during the months when the water levels are low or beginning to rise. They build a nest approximately 50 cm wide and 15 cm deep, usually in muddy bottomed areas. As the water rises the eggs hatch and the offspring have the flood season to prosper, during the months of May to August. Therefore, the yearly spawning is regulated seasonally. The arapaima male is supposed to be a mouthbrooder
Mouthbrooder
Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a variety of different animals, most notably Darwin's...
, like its relative the Osteoglossum
Osteoglossum
Osteoglossum is a genus of fish in the family Osteoglossidae. The genus contains two species: the silver arowana and the black arowana . They reach almost in length and are restricted to freshwater habitats in tropical South America....
, meaning the young are protected in its mouth until they are older. The female arapaima helps to protect the male and the young by circling them and fending off potential predators.
In his book The Whispering Land, naturalist Gerald Durrell reports hearing the tale in Argentina that female arapaima have been seen secreting a white substance from a gland in the head and that their young have been noted seemingly feeding on the substance.
Evolutionary history
Fossils of arapaima or a very similar species have been found in the MioceneMiocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
Villavieja Formation of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Importance to humans
The arapaima has also been introduced for fishing in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Malaysia. Fishing for this species in Thailand can be done in several lakes, where one often sees arapaima over 150 kg landed and then released.
Special care is needed when dealing with these fish as, since they are large, they can be hard to handle. With catch and release after the fish is landed, it must be held for 5 minutes until it takes a breath. The fish has a large blood vessel running down its spine and lifting the fish clear of the water for trophy shots can rupture this vessel causing death. Arapaimas are also known to leap out of the water if they feel constrained by their environment or harassed.
It is also considered an aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
fish, although it obviously requires a large tank and ample resources. In addition, this animal appears in the pet trade, although keeping an arapaima correctly requires a large tank and can prove quite difficult.
The tongue of this fish is thought to have medicinal qualities in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It is dried and combined with guarana
Guarana
Guarana , Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis) is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee bean...
bark, which is grated and mixed into water. Doses of this are given to kill intestinal worms. In addition, the arapaima's bony tongue
Tongue
The tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...
is often used to scrape cylinders of dried guarana
Guarana
Guarana , Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis) is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee bean...
, an ingredient in some beverages, and the bony scales are used as nail files.
In July 2009, some villagers who live around Kenyir Lake
Kenyir Lake
Tasik Kenyir or Kenyir Lake is an artificial lake located in the state of Terengganu in northeast Malaysia created in 1985 by the damming of the Kenyir River to create the Sultan Mahmud Power Station.-Geography:...
in Terengganu
Terengganu
Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman...
, Malaysia, reported sighting the arapaima gigas. The "Kenyir Monster," or "dragon fish" as the locals call it, was claimed to be responsible for the mysterious drowning of two men on June 17.
In popular culture
- A pirarucu is caught and eaten in a season seven episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
- The Pirarucu is an objective catch in the videogame Fisherman's Bait 2: Big Ol' Bass, on the Amazonia stage.
- In the NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
videogame Animal CrossingAnimal CrossingThe Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
and subsequent sequels, the Arapaima is one of the rarest catches.
- In the PC game The Amazon Trail II the Arapaima (called Pirarucu in the game) sometimes appears while spearfishingSpearfishingSpearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
. It is one of the largest fish in the game, and only appears once in any one fishing session.
- The Arapaima can also be found in the Nokia NGage title Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep at the games Thailand resort Top Cats.
- In the Street Fighter IIStreet Fighter IIis a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
games, a large Arapaima is seen hanging in the background of BlankaBlankais a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Blanka is depicted as a feral savage, with green skin and long orange hair, resembling a monster more than a human...
's stage in Brazil, along with an anacondaAnacondaAn anaconda is a large, non-venomous snake found in tropical South America. Although the name actually applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, which is one of the largest snakes in the world.Anaconda...
and the Amazon River. In Super Street Fighter IVSuper Street Fighter IVis a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
, one of Blanka's win quotes states that he prefers "the taste of a nice pirarucu."
- In the video games Petz: Dogz 2 and Petz: Catz 2 for WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
& PS2, the Arapaima is found in Gongoro Peak. There is also a Golden Arapaima, which is one of the rarest catches.
- Sri Lanka's Zoological Gardens Located in Dehiwala also has several specimens listed as 'The World's largest freshwater fish'.
- This creature is seen in Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep at the Cortica River in the Amazon RainforestAmazon RainforestThe Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
.
- Fished for in Extreme Fishing with Robson GreenRobson GreenRobson Green is an English actor, singer–songwriter and presenter.-Biography:Robson Golightly Green was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and baptised in Bethel Chapel, , and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly...
with harpoonHarpoonA harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
[Channel Five, 1st November 2010].
- The arapaima was in the River MonstersRiver MonstersRiver Monsters is a documentary television series that airs on Animal Planet, hosted by Jeremy Wade and produced by Icon Films of Bristol, UK. The first season aired from 5 April to 17 May 2009. A second season began airing on 25 April 2010...
episode Amazon Assasin.
- In the anime Sora no OtoshimonoSora no Otoshimono, also known as Heaven's Lost Property, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Suu Minazuki. The plot revolves around Tomoki Sakurai, a highly perverted young man struggling to live a peaceful life...
, this fish was mentioned after being caught and transported by one of the characters from Brazil to Japan.