Arapaima (Arapaima gigas) lives in freshwater across Amazon River Basin. It feeds on fish and crustaceans.
Fascinating facts about the Arapaima
- Arapaima must surface every 5-15 minutes to gulp air, and if it can't reach the surface for more than 10 minutes it will die. This obligate air-breathing habit, powered by a lung-like swim bladder, forces the fish to the water's skin where it meets predators and, increasingly, floating microplastics.
- Microplastic particles can jam the pirarucu's air-breathing organ, physically blocking the glottis and damaging oxygen-sensing cells. In urban streams of Manaus, researchers recorded up to 74,550 plastic particles per cubic meter, a concentration that makes surface-breathing fish especially vulnerable. When plastics lodge in the organ, the fish must divert energy to inflammation and detox, threatening its health and the safety of people who eat it.
- Arapaima reach sexual maturity at five years and then lay small clutches of fewer than 500 eggs between August and March, when water levels are low. Parents dig nests about 50 cm wide and 15 cm deep, and males guard the brood for three to six months, even exuding a 400-substance head secretion to keep fry nearby. This cautious, repeat-spawning strategy spreads risk across unpredictable flood cycles, ensuring at least some offspring survive each year.
- Within three decades of its first recorded introduction in 1976, arapaima have colonized 70 sites across Bolivia's Beni-Madre de Dios watershed, spreading from the Amazon into new river systems. Their rapid expansion shows how aquaculture escapes can turn a once-endangered native into an invasive powerhouse, reshaping fish communities.
- Arapaima with most adults measuring 200 cm (79 in) and rare giants reaching 450 cm (15 ft). At full size they can tip the scales at 200 kg (440 lb), and even their heads pack a punch, about 10.3 % to 12.8 % of total body weight.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeAmazon River Basin
HabitatFreshwater
DietFish and crustaceans
About the Arapaima
In the murky depths of the Amazonian waters, the arapaima glides effortlessly, its sleek, armored body undulating as it navigates the sun-dappled shadows. With a gentle flick of its tail, this ancient giant can leap from the water's surface, breaching the air with a sudden, startling explosiveness that belies its otherwise languid demeanor. As it breaks the surface, the arapaima's scales shimmer like molten gold, casting a fleeting glimpse of beauty in the dappled light of the rainforest.
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