Characteristics of a Arapaima

1.  Arapaima have broad, bony heads, upturned mouths and streamlined bodies with a dorsal fin stretching along their backs toward their tails, which are massive, yet stumpy in appearance. The head of the arapaima is copperish-green in color, their bodies are black with a white center and their tails are red.

2. The arapaima can grow up to 15′ long and weigh up to 440 lbs. Because of that is considered by most people to be among the largest fish along with the beluga sturgeon, mekong giant catfish, giant freshwater stingray and alligator gar.

3. The arapaima evolved a unique scale design that helps it resist piranha bites, including up to 1.7 million pounds per square inch of pressure.

4. Common uses include: Large unstructured handbags. The large, wild scales of the arapaima skin and its plush body drape beautifully over the shoulder of a fun-loving fashionite. Garments often require huge panels to reduce the appearance of stitch marks.

5. The arapaima is the largest of the extant air-breathing freshwater fishes. Their respiratory gas bladder is arguably the most striking of all the adaptations to living in the hypoxic waters of the Amazon basin, in which dissolved oxygen can reach 0 ppm (0 mg/l) at night.

6. Arapaima fish have sharp and bony teeth that help in tearing their prey apart. The name of the genus Arapaima comes from the tupí-guaraní word for this freshwater fish. They are also known as “pirarucu” in Brazil, which roughly translated means “red fish.” In Peru, they are called “paiche”.

7. Contrary to popular belief, arapaimas do not eat people. In conclusion, humans are the largest threat to one of the largest fish. Attacks by predatory fish are rare, especially following the decline of the arapaima population due to overfishing.

8. Arapaima are obligate air breathers, meaning they need to surface to breathe every 10-20 minutes.

9. The increase in commercial fishing over recent decades has put tremendous pressure on fish stocks and had severe impacts on the main commercial species like the Arapaima. The risk of extinction for this species stems from predatory fishing practices that have been going on for years now.

10. A native to Amazonia's rivers and lakes, the arapaima gigas is one of the biggest freshwater fish in the world, measuring an impressive 10 feet long and weighing a whopping 485 pounds.










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