Arapaima

The arapaima is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, native to the Amazon and Essequibo river basins of South America, with some individuals historically reported to exceed three metres in length. It has an elongated body covered in large, tough scales, a broad head, and a distinctive reddish coloration toward the tail that intensifies during the breeding season. As an obligate air-breather, the arapaima must surface every few minutes to gulp air into a lung-like swim bladder, an adaptation that lets it survive in the oxygen-poor floodplain waters where it often lives, and this habit makes it especially vulnerable to being speared or netted by fishers who track its surfacing. It is a formidable predator, feeding mainly on other fish which it captures with a powerful upward strike of its bony, toothed mouth, and adults have few natural predators aside from large crocodilians and humans. Historically overfished for its meat and prized tongue bone, several arapaima species and populations have declined sharply, and management efforts including size limits and community-based fisheries have been introduced in parts of its range to support recovery.