Arapaima

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. Arantes, Caroline C., Leandro Castello, Mauricio Cetra, and Ana Schilling. "Environmental 
Influences on the Distribution of Arapaima in Amazon Floodplains." Environmental 
Biology of Fishes (2011): 1257-267. Print.

 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

References

Category:Living fossils
Category:Teleosts