The world's largest freshwater fish

When we think of giant fish, we usually think of sharks, dolphins, or whales in the ocean, but even in rivers, you'll be surprised by the incredibly huge sizes of fish species.

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

Discovered in 1829 by the Swiss biologist Louis Agassiz, the Arapaima (also known as the giant arapaima or piracuru), native to tropical South America, is considered one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.

The giant fish known as Arapaima is a freshwater "monster" of the Amazon region.

In some exceptional individuals, the weight of a giant arapaima can reach 200 kg and a length of 3 m. There have been recorded sightings of a giant arapaima measuring 4 m in length and weighing 300 kg.

Therefore, many expert anglers often whisper to each other that when hunting this fish, you shouldn't scare them; only when you see them surface and swim gently do you have a chance of catching them. Despite their large size, Arapaima fish are very timid. When startled, they will thrash and splash water violently as a way of showing off their appearance.

One of the unique features of the arapaima is its ability to breathe by gulps of air above the water's surface. Besides gills, this fish also "extracts" oxygen from the air thanks to a network of capillaries in its throat – functioning like the lungs of land animals.

Juvenile arapaima fish have silvery-gray scales, a round and elongated body, and a head that resembles that of a snakehead fish. Adult fish are more intensely colored, leaning towards grayish-brown with a metallic sheen. The scales of their dorsal, caudal, and anal fins all feature orange-red spots, making them even more distinctive.

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

One of the unique features of the arapaima fish is its ability to breathe by gulps of air above the water's surface.

Arapaima's daily diet consists of fish, crustaceans, and small creatures near the shore. However, sometimes Arapaima want to show off its strength, skillfully leaping several meters out of the water to catch prey such as snakes and birds.

Arapaima have very sharp teeth for tearing apart their prey. Therefore, many people believe that, among the species in the Amazon River region, the Arapaima is the number one predator.

Despite its enormous size, the arapaima is chosen by South Americans as an ornamental fish due to its beautiful shape and eye-catching colors.

Arapaima fish also have similar reproductive habits to dragonfish. This means that after the female lays eggs in a nest, the male will fertilize them and then incubate the eggs in his mouth for from the first to the fourth month. When the rainy season begins in May, the water level in ponds and lakes rises, and the fry hatch and begin their lives during the flood season.

At this time, the parent fish will control their offspring by releasing a pheromone that acts as an attractant – helping the young fish "not get lost".

Despite their enormous size, arapaima fish are chosen as ornamental fish by people in South America due to their beautiful shape and eye-catching colors. Furthermore, people in Southeast Asia – specifically Thailand – also enjoy keeping this species of fish.

Besides providing sweet and delicious fish meat, the tongue of the elephant fish is also an essential ingredient in the production of medicinal drugs.

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

Besides providing a source of sweet, delicious fish meat used in food, few people realize that the tongue of the giant catfish is an essential ingredient in the production of medicine.

Specifically, the dried tongue of the arapaima fish, combined with guarana bark, creates a mixture used to expel worms. Additionally, the fish scales are used as nail files.

Surveys conducted among fishing communities in the Amazon region indicate that this species of arapaima has disappeared from many stretches of river where they were previously quite common.

According to Young Knowledge