The flathead is more aloof, preferring to rest among branches most of the day. Both cats are more than 10 years old and although many visitors assume they're males, they are really big mamas who can produce up to 100,000 eggs at a time. Several alligator snapping turtles, the largest exceeding 150 pounds, live in the Delta Country . The largest freshwater turtle in North America, the alligator snapper gets its name from its strong jaws and shell ridges that resemble an alligator's back. It lures its prey by lying in wait, wiggling its pink, wormlike tongue.
Alligator snapping turtles can stay submerged almost an hour before coming up for air.
The largest fish in the Amazon Flooded Forest , the arapaima have grown from 12 inches to nearly six feet since the Aquarium opened, and they haven't stopped yet. They belong to a family of freshwater fish with bony tongues and sharp scales. In South America the one-inch scales are traded as tools for breaking down seeds. Arapaima is the world's largest species of fish living its entire life in fresh water. The two males in the Amazon River exhibit are very aquatic and often rest in the water, with their heads just above the surface, or coiled on a gnarled tree branch over the pool.