Pixel Wild
Giant arapaima
Giant arapaima
Arapaima gigas
Actinopterygii
RARE

Stats

Lifespan
15-20 yrs
Size
Huge
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Social
Solitary
Biome
Tropical rainforest
Range
South America
Movement
Swimming
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Armor
Status
Rare

About

The pirarucu is one of the world's largest freshwater fish, reaching over 3 metres in length in the flooded river basins of the Amazon. It breathes air at the surface with an audible gulp—an ancient adaptation that makes it uniquely vulnerable to surface-level hunting.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    hatchling fry
    A tiny fry hatches with a yolk sac and begins free-swimming once the sac is absorbed.
  2. 2.
    juvenile
    A juvenile takes on adult body shape and feeds on small prey, often in nursery waters.
  3. 3.
    adult
    Fully grown at adult size and coloration.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Osteoglossiformes
Family
Arapaimidae
Genus
Arapaima
Species
Arapaima gigas