Fig 6 Arapaima gigas Under water
This family of osteoglossids, 'boney-tongued' fish, has only a single Amazonian member, the well known Arapaima gigas. This is the largest scaled fish in the Amazon and can exceed 3 m in length. It grows fast, swiching rapidly from feeding on invertebrates to fish. They nest on the margin of the forest as the water is rising- March - May. The young are protected by the male. While not endangered as a species in many areas it is overfished and large specimens are much less frequently caught.
