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Anatomy and morphology

Arapaima showing its full length.
Arapaima can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6.6 ft), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and over 100 kg (220 lbs). The often cited maximum length of 4.5 m (14.8 ft) comes from a single second-hand-report from the first half of the ninteenth century, and is not an actual fact. The maximum-cited weight for the species is 200 kg (440 lbs). The Arapaima the largest freshwater fish in South America. As one of the most sought after food fish species in South America, it is often captured primarily by handheld nets for export, by spearfishing for local consumption, and, consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m are seldom found in the wild today. In the Camden aquarium in Camden, New Jersey, arapaimas are on exhibit along with the Arowanas and other species.

Ecology

The diet of the arapaima consists of fish and other small animals, including birds. The fish is an air-breather, using its swim bladder, which is rich in blood vessels and opens into the fish's mouth[1], an advantage in oxygen-deprived water that is often found in the Amazon River. This fish is therefore able to survive extensive drought periods by gulping air and burrowing in the mud or sand of the swamps.

Reproduction

Due to the geographic range that arapaima inhabit, the animal's life cycle is greatly affected by the seasonal flooding that occurs. The arapaima lays its eggs during the months of February, March, and April when the water levels are low. They build a nest approximately 50 cm wide and 15 cm deep, usually in sandy bottomed areas. As the water rises the eggs hatch and the offspring have the flood season to prosper, during the months of May to August. Therefore, the yearly spawning is regulated seasonally. The arapaima is a mouthbrooder, meaning it keeps its young in its mouth until they are older.

Evolutionary history

Fossils of arapaima or a very similar species have been found in the Miocene Villavieja Formation of Colombia.

Importance to humans

Arapaima depicted on a 1954 postage stamp of British Guiana.
The arapaima is hunted and utilized in many ways by local human populations. Arapaima are harpooned or caught in large nets and the meat is said to be delicious. Since the arapaima needs to swim up to breathe air, traditional arapaima fishers often catch them by first clubbing them and then harpooning them dead. One individual can yield as much as 70 kg of meat.
The arapaima has also been introduced for fishing in Thailand and Malaysia. Fishing for this species in Thailand can be done at two lakes, Bung Sam Ran and It Lake Monsters, it is common to see Arapaima over 50kg landed and then released.
Special care is needed when dealing with these fish as although they are large they are also hard to deal with, with catch and release after the fish is landed it must be held in a shallow pen/bed for about 3 hours, as this species goes into shock so a careful watch must be kept to make sure that it is coming up for air about every 15 min, if not then the fish can be gently lifted so that its head comes out of the water, when this happens they have a reflex action to breathe.
It is also considered an aquarium fish, although it obviously requires a large tank and ample resources. This animal also appears in the pet trade, although to keep an arapaima correctly requires a large tank and can prove quite difficult.
The tongue of this fish is thought to have medicinal qualities in South America. It is dried and combined with guarana bark, which is grated and mixed into water. Doses of this are given to kill intestinal worms. In addition, the arapaima's bony tongue is often used to scrape cylinders of dried guarana, an ingredient in some beverages, and the bony scales are used as nail files.

In popular culture

In the Nintendo GameCube videogame Animal Crossing and subsequent sequels, the Arapaima is the rarest catch.
In the PC game The Amazon Trail II the Arapaima (called Pirarucu in the game)sometimes appears while spearfishing it is one of the largest fish in the game, and only appears once in any one fishing session.
The Arapaima can also be found in the Nokia NGage title Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep at the games Thailand resort Top Cats
In the Street Fighter II games, a large Arapaima is seen hanging in the background of Blanka's stage in Brazil, along with an anaconda and the Amazon River.
In the Petz games on Wii & PS2 Catz & Dogz 2, the Arapaima is found in Gongoro Peak.There is also a Golden Arapaima, which is one of the rarest catches.