Arapaima is the Amazon fish monster. The length of her body sometimes reaches 2.5 meters, and the weight exceeds 2 centners. This aquatic predator has long attracted the attention of scientists, since similar sizes are not peculiar to freshwater fish. Therefore, in recent years, a lot of effort has been made in order to study all the features of arapaim life.
Guest from the distant past
Arapaima was first noticed by European scientists at the beginning of the 19th century. Then she was described as a gigantic monster living in the Amazon. However, only recently have scientists been able to fully explore all the features of this fish. It turns out that arapaima is a guest from a far past, or more precisely, a fossil species. This conclusion was made by scientists from its morphology, which is very different from everything we are used to today.
To begin with, arapaima is a double-breathing fish. This means that it can use atmospheric air as the main source of oxygen. Recall that many fish are deprived of such an opportunity, which makes our predator even more unique. Moreover, if she hadn’t had such “lungs,” she would have died out a long time ago. After all, with its gigantic size, the muddy water of the Amazon simply could not provide the fish with the right amount of oxygen.
Arapaima giant: description
The main feature of this fish is its size. On average, adults reach 2 meters in length, however, there are many cases where fishermen have caught much larger representatives of this species. So, today the record is held by arapayme, the length of which reached the mark of 4.5 meters. At the same time, the weight of adult fish ranges from 180-220 kilograms.
If we talk about the appearance, then arapayma is a fish with a long body, a little compressed on the sides. In its shape, it is more like a pike, however, much larger. The dorsal and anal fins are located at the rear of the fish, forming a kind of whole tail. Another important attribute is large flakes. Together they form a clear mesh pattern, which is clearly distinguishable even in troubled waters.
With regard to color, nature awarded arapaim a light olive shade. In addition, in the light of her scales shimmer with copper, and sometimes even red tones. This is especially evident near the belly and tail of the fish. But it also happens that the entire body of a predator is replete with scarlet. That is why the Indians called this fish “pyraruku”, which means “red fish”.
Area
Arapaima is a fish that lives only in South America. True, today it can be found in other regions of the planet, but it was brought there by private breeders. Consequently, the Amazon basin is the only place where pyraruku can survive in vivo. If we consider the exact coordinates, then large populations of the species are found in the waters belonging to Peru, Brazil and Guyana.
By the way, earlier this species of fish also inhabited the Colombian rivers, but due to a change in climate it completely died out. The finds of paleontologists prove that the last Arapaims lived here during the Miocene, that is, 5-10 million years ago.
Habitat
Arapaima is a giant fish, therefore it prefers full-flowing ponds. Wetlands covered with algae and shrubs are ideal for her. Here she can find herself not only a full-fledged shelter, but also access to rich sources of food: schools of other fish, mollusks, and even amphibians.
Due to its large size, it reacts sharply to a change in water temperature. This is due to the fact that for normal metabolism it needs heat. Therefore, she tries to avoid cool ponds and those sections of the river where the cold keys beat. But she transfers the heat calmly, as evidenced by the numerous notes of scientists.
Nutrition
Arapaima is a predator fish. Moreover, given its size, one can easily guess that almost any inhabitant of the Amazon River can become its victim. First of all, she preys on other fish and invertebrates, which are rich in protein. Also, arapaima does not disdain carrion and eats up what they did not have time to destroy piranhas.
In addition, despite gigantic proportions, piraruku is able to develop serious speed in pursuit of its prey. But most of all, scientists are struck by the fact that arapaimea can jump out of the water and catch a catchy prey. For example, in a jump, she is able to grab a bird or a lizard sitting peacefully on a branch.
Behavior features
Amazon fish - arapaima - do not like to spend energy on extra movements. Therefore, at a time when she is not hunting, the predator calmly basks in the sun. If the water in the river is very muddy, then it protrudes its face to the surface and loudly clicks its mouth, swallowing warm air into the "lungs". Fortunately, she can afford such a vacation, since she has not so many natural enemies.
It is curious that even piranhas do not touch her. The reason for this is the strong arapaima scales, which serves as reliable armor that protects against the sharp teeth of a bloodthirsty predator. Therefore, Piraruk does not even pay attention to the fact that such a formidable neighbor lives next to her. The only enemies for arapaima today are alligators and people, and it was the latter that put this species on the brink of extinction.
Breeding
Individuals of this species become ready for breeding only in the fifth year of their life. During spawning, fish seek shallow places with a clean sandy bottom. Here they can dig their own nest-hole, where they will then lay eggs. This event takes place in late April - early May, when the water reaches the most optimal temperature.
At the same time, parents do not leave the nest until the moment when the whole fry hatch. Fortunately, this happens quickly, after 2-3 days the “children” of arapaimes are born. After that, they obediently follow their father, who has been feeding them all this time. To do this, he has special glands located near the eyes. They secrete a special enzyme that serves as a food source for fry for the next 7-10 days.
Piraruku and man
Today arapaima is a fish that requires close attention of environmental organizations. Over the past two centuries, its numbers have fallen dramatically, which made scientists sound the alarm. This was caused by uncontrolled fishing from the local population. And if in the old days Indians used only harpoons and home-made nets, then with the advent of Europeans they learned to use more “fruitful” methods of catching the river giant.
Fortunately, the Brazilian authorities established a strict moratorium on the capture of arapaimes. Now you can hunt for it only once a year, at a time allotted for this purpose. In this case, initially, fishermen must obtain a license from the authorities, otherwise they will face severe punishment. True, many Aborigines still violate this prohibition, since by selling one fish they can receive an amount equal to their monthly salary.