Arapaima (fish): description, habitat and photos

Arapaima is the fish monster of the Amazon. The length of her body sometimes reaches 2.5 meters, and the weight passes for 2 centners. This water predator has long attracted the attention of scientists, since such dimensions are not characteristic of freshwater fish. Therefore, in recent years, much effort has been made to study all the features of Arapaima's life.

Guest from the distant past

For the first time Arapaima was noticed by European scientists in the beginning of the XIX century. Then it was described as a giant monster, living in the Amazon basin. However, only recently scientists were able to fully study all the features of this fish. It turns out that Arapaima is a guest from far past, and to be more precise, a fossil species. To this conclusion scientists pushed her morphology, which is very different from all that we are used to today.

To begin with, arapayma is a lungfish. This means that it can use atmospheric air as the main source of oxygen. Recall that many fish are deprived of this opportunity, which makes our predator even more unique. Besides, if she had not had such "light", she would have died out a long time ago. After all, at its gigantic size, the turbid 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, adult individuals reach 2 meters in length, but there are many cases where fishermen caught far larger representatives of this species. So, to date, the record holds for the arapaima, the length of which has reached a mark of 4.5 meters. The weight of adult fish varies between 180-220 kilograms.

Speaking of appearance, Arapaima is a fish with a long body, slightly compressed at the sides. Its shape is more like a pike, however, much larger. The dorsal and anal fins are in the back of the fish, forming a kind of one-piece tail. Another important attribute is large scales. Together they form a clear mesh pattern, which is clearly discernible even in troubled waters.

As for color, nature awarded the Arapaima a light olive shade. In addition, in the light of its scales poured copper, and sometimes even red tones. It is especially visible near the belly and the tail of the fish. But it also happens that the body of a predator is full of scarlet. That is why the Indians called this fish "piraruku", which means "red fish".

Areal

Arapaima is a fish that inhabits only the territory of 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 a piraruku can survive in natural conditions. 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 Columbia River, but because of the climate change completely extinct. Finds of paleontologists prove that the last Arapaim lived here during the Miocene, that is, 5-10 million years ago.

Habitat

Arapaima is a giant fish, therefore it prefers deep water. For it, ideally marshy areas, overgrown with algae and shrubs. Here it can find not only a full shelter, but also access to rich sources of food: flocks of other fish, shellfish and even amphibians.

Because of its large size, it reacts sharply to a change in the temperature of the water. This is due to the fact that for normal metabolism it needs heat. Therefore, she tries to avoid cool ponds and those parts of the river where cold keys are beaten. But the heat she carries quietly, as evidenced by the numerous records of scientists.

Food

Arapaima is a predator fish. At the same time, given its size, it is easy to guess that almost any inhabitant of the Amazon can become its victim. First of all, it hunts other fish and invertebrates, which are rich in proteins. Also Arapaima does not disdain carrion and eats up what did not have time to destroy the piranhas.

In addition, despite the giant proportions, piraruku is able to develop a serious speed in pursuit of its prey. But most of all, scientists are amazed that the arapaima can jump out of the water and catch the creeping prey. For example, in a jump she is able to grasp a bird or a lizard, peacefully sitting on a branch.

Features of behavior

Fish Amazon - Arapaima - does not like to spend energy on unnecessary movements. Therefore, at a time when she does not hunt, the predator calmly basks in the sun. If the water in the river is very turbid, then it pushes its muzzle to the surface and loudly clicks its mouth, swallowing into the "lungs" warm air. Fortunately, she can afford such a holiday, since she has not so many natural enemies.

Curiously, even the piranhas do not touch her. The reason for this is the firm arapaima scales, which serves as a reliable armor protecting from the sharp teeth of a bloodthirsty predator. Therefore, the Piraruku does not even pay attention to the fact that next to her resides such a formidable neighbor. The only enemies for arapayma today are alligators and humans, while the latter have placed this species on the verge of extinction.

Reproduction

To reproduction, individuals of this species become ready only in the fifth year of their life. During the spawning period, the fish are looking for shallow places with a clean sandy bottom. Here they can dig a nest-hole for themselves, where the eggs will be laid. This event takes place in late April - early May, when the water reaches the most optimal temperature.

In this case, the parents do not leave the nest until the moment when all the young people hatch. The good it happens quickly, after 2-3 days the "babes" arapaims are born. After that, they obediently follow their father, who has been feeding them all this time. For this, he has special glands located near the eyes. They are the ones that give off a special enzyme that serves as a source of food for the fry for the next 7-10 days.

Piraruku and the man

Today Arapaima is a fish that requires close attention of nature protection organizations. Over the past two centuries, its numbers have fallen dramatically, which has led scientists to sound the alarm. This led to uncontrolled fishing by the local population. And if in the old days the Indians used only harpoons and home-made networks, then with the advent of Europeans they learned to use more "fruitful" methods of catching the river giant.

The blessing of the Brazilian authorities has established a strict moratorium on trapping arapaima. Now you can hunt it only once a year, in a specially designated time for it. At the same time, fishermen must first obtain a license from the authorities, otherwise they will be faced with severe punishment. True, many aborigines still violate this ban, since by selling one fish, they can receive an amount equal to their monthly salary.