Arapaima
Common Name: Arapaima (also pirarucu, paiche)
Scientific Name: Arapaima gigas
Names: Jellybean
Locations: Whitby
Diet
Feeds on fish, crustaceans, fruits, seeds, insects, and small land animals that venture near the shore
Average lifespan
Up to 20 years
Size
Commonly around 2 m (6.6 ft) in length; exceptional specimens verified to 3.07 m (10 ft 1 in), with unverified reports up to 4.57 m (15 ft)
Weight
Adults typically weigh up to 100 kg (220 lb), with a maximum recorded weight of 200 kg (440 lb
About
One of the largest freshwater fish, native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins; torpedo-shaped with hard, armor-like scales and a modified swim bladder that functions as a lung, making it an obligate air-breather
Size and behavior
Adults have streamlined bodies with dorsal and anal fins set near the tail; they surface every 5–15 minutes to breathe air and may leap out of water if stressed; males build nests and mouthbrood their young for protection after spawning
Diet and nutrition
An opportunistic predator using suction feeding to ingest live prey and capable of surviving in oxygen-depleted water thanks to its air-breathing adaptation
Conservation status
Listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN (1996 assessment) and included in CITES Appendix II due to uncertainties in population trends and threats from overfishing
Fun fact
Its scales are built like natural body armor: a hard, corrugated outer layer over a tough, plywood-style collagen matrix that provides both protection and flexibility
