Arapaima
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Osteoglossiformes
Family:	Arapaimidae
Genus:	Arapaima J. P. Müller, 1843
Type species
Sudis gigas Schinz, 1822
Synonyms
Sudis G. Cuvier, 1816 (preoccupied) Vastres Valenciennes, 1847

The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche are several large species of bonytongue fish in the genus Arapaima.

They are native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. These fish are widely dispersed and do not migrate. This makes scientists think that there are more species of arapaima that scientists have not found yet. ^[1]

Species

• Arapaima agassizii (Valenciennes, 1847) (Agassiz's arapaima)
• Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822) (pirarucu, arapaima)
• Arapaima leptosoma D. J. Stewart, 2013 (slender arapaima; Solimoes arapaima)
• Arapaima mapae (Valenciennes, 1847) (Mapa arapaima)

Ecology

The diet of the arapaima consists of fish, crustaceans, fruits, seeds, insects, and small land animals that walk near the shore. Arapaima can leap out of the water if they feel harassed or bullied.

Gallery

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  Arapaima at the Shedd Aquarium
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  Arapaima at the Manila Ocean Park
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  Arapaima at the Cologne Zoological Garden
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  Arapaima leptosoma at the zoo (sea aquarium) in Sevastopol
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  Arapaima depicted on a 1954 postage stamp of British Guiana