A weak electric field is generated by an organ in the tail, and this field alters depending on the fishes surroundings. By using this system these fish can navigate in almost total darkness. The fish shown here is a member of the family Gnathonemus, found in the Congo, East Africa and Cameroon. This species, Gnathonemus elephas, or the African Elephant Nose, has an elongated snout which it uses to search for worms and mosquito larvae. Snout fishes show a wide variation in the length of their snouts.
Several species have a very reduced snout, which appears little more than a protruding lower lip.
Arawana are 2-3 feet in length and feed by jumping out of the water and catching insects. They are sometimes called 'water monkeys' by the local people. Male arawanas guard their young by holding them in their mouths. They cannot feed while brooding the young. Both arawanas and arapaimas are becoming rarer as their rainforest environment becomes depleted.