Miranda Mattson
The Paw Print
A brand new species of Arapaima, Arapaima Leptosoma, has been discovered in Brazil. The Arapaima is known as one of the largest fresh water fish in the world and can grow to be just over eight feet long and weighs in at around 440 pounds! Red markings highlight the large scales on its lengthy body and the small fins are closer to its posterior. The root words Leptos and Soma are Greek for slender and body, describing the torpedo like fish perfectly. The Arapaima is also known as the Paiche or Pirarucu.
The Arapaima usually has a diet of fish with the occasional delicacy of an unwary bird. It dwells in the swamps and lakes near South America’s Amazon Basin and can live up to twenty years in captivity. Its reproductive cycle matches the annual flood season of the area allowing the babies to thrive when the waters start to rise. The male Arapaima actually incubates the eggs, instead of the female, and he does so with his mouth.
One of the most astounding qualities and rare talents of this fish is the fact that it can actually breathe air. Yes, a fish can actually breathe air; that certainly debunks the myth that fish can’t drown. The Leptosoma is also very different from the other Arapaima in three distinct ways. First, the head is flatter than the more common of the species. The sensory cavity on its cheek bone is more slender; and the back dorsal fins overlap slightly.
This is the latest discovery of a new species of Arapaima since 1847! The Leptosoma is one of only two species of Arapaima found in the Amazonas State of Brazil. The first official sighting and catch of the new species was back in 2001 near the Solimões and Purus rivers, in Amazonas State, Brazil.
The Arapaima is currently being overfished and is relatively easy prey to humans do to its tendency to stay close to the surface. People hunt them with harpoons and use their toothed tongue as a scraping tool. Their meat is a good portion of the South American diet and locals make necklaces and other fashionable items from the gloriously large scales of the Arapaima as well.
Although some authorities have tried to enact laws to prevent the overfishing of the Amazon River Basin, very little has changed. It is hard to change a big part of the South American culture and cutting out a relatively important food supply. But people are very adaptable and, even though many will complain, they can live without the resources from this species of fish. Hopefully the Arapaima, along with many other threatened species, can be protected and thrive in their natural habitat for a good, long time.
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