Amazon - Discover fishes living in this basin

When searching for food, it often swims with it head bowed down. During breeding, the female deposits it eggs in areas where aquatic vegetation is dense.

The arapaima, a freshwater giant reaching sizes of up to 4.5 meters, plays a vital role as a dominant predator in the Amazon basin. Equipped with thick and resilient scales that provide effective protection against predators, this iconic freshwater fish is threatened by overfishing. Juveniles breathe through their gills while adults often use their swim bladder to gulp air at the surface.

It must be kept in a good sized aquarium with efficient filtration, as it is used to chewing it food and scattering it. It is sometimes aggressive toward other species. It breeds easily in captivity. There are several varieties.

The female has a broader abdomen than the male. To escape predators, it can make impressive leaps out of the water and "fly" by using its pectoral fins. That is why it is recommended to keep it in a covered aquarium.

Small barbs located around its mouth enable it to search for food in the sand or mud. It goes regularly at the surface to breathe oxygen from the air. It acclimate easily to aquarium.