Close-up of the "largest freshwater monster on the planet" in the Amazon

Arapaima - The world's largest freshwater fish in the Amazon

When it comes to giant fish, we often think of sharks, dolphins or whales in the sea, but right in the river area, you will be surprised by the extremely "huge" sizes of fish species.

And you will surely be amazed by the giant fish called Arapaima - the freshwater "monster" of the Amazon region below.

Discovered by Swiss biologist Louis Agassiz in 1829, the Arapaima fish (or Piracuru fish ) living in tropical South America is considered one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.

Adult arowana can reach a length of more than 2m, some even longer than 2.5m with an average weight of about 100kg.

With some special individuals, the weight of the arapaima can reach 200kg, 3m long. In the world, there has been a record of discovering an arapaima up to 4m long, weighing 300kg.

Juvenile arapaima have silvery-gray scales, a round and elongated body, and a head that resembles that of a snakehead fish. Adults are darker in color, grayish-brown, and have a metallic sheen.

On the dorsal, caudal and anal fin scales of the fish, red-orange spots appear, making them even more unique.

Despite its size, the Arapaima is very timid. When startled, it will thrash around and splash water very vigorously as a way to show off its appearance.

Therefore, many super anglers often whisper to each other that when hunting this fish, you should not scare them. Only when you see them surface and swim gently will you have a chance to catch them.

One of the unique features of the arapaima is that it can breathe by gulping air above the water surface . In addition to gills, this fish also "extracts" oxygen from the air thanks to a layer of capillaries in its throat - which functions like the lungs of land animals.

Arapaima fish can survive the dry season and the low oxygen conditions of the Amazon floodplain by burying themselves in the mud and sand of the swamp and breathing through their mouths. However, this breathing of air must occur every 5-15 minutes.

Arapaima's daily diet consists of fish, crustaceans, and small creatures near the shore. However, sometimes, Arapaima wants to show off its strength, so it skillfully throws itself out of the water a few meters to catch prey such as snakes, birds, etc.

Arapaima has sharp teeth to cut into its prey. Therefore, many people believe that among species in the Amazon River, Arapaima is the number 1 killer.

Arapaima also has the same reproductive habits as Arowana fish . That means after the female fish lays eggs in the nest, the male fish will fertilize and then incubate the eggs in its mouth from the first month to the fourth month. When the rainy season begins in May, the water in the ponds rises, which is also the time when the baby fish hatch and begin their life in the flood season.

At this time, the parent fish will control the fry by secreting a pheromone that has an attractive effect - helping the fry "not get lost".

Despite its huge size, due to its beautiful shape and eye-catching colors, the Arapaima is chosen by South American residents to be kept as an ornamental fish. Not only that, people in Southeast Asia - specifically Thai people - also have a hobby of raising this fish.

Because it is used as food, considered a specialty in South America, and has high economic value, arapaima is hunted fiercely.

Besides providing sweet, delicious fish meat - used in food, few people know that the tongue of the arapaima is a necessary ingredient to make medicine.

Specifically, the dried tongue of the arapaima, combined with guarana bark, creates a mixture used to remove worms. In addition, the fish scales are also used as a nail file.

Survey results in fishing communities living in the Amazon state show that this species of arapaima has disappeared in many river sections where they previously appeared quite frequently.