Arapaima - sounds like the name of another new exotic fruit. You can’t surprise a sophisticated layman with just the berries collected by young African children. But piraruk is a different matter. It looks like some kind of weapon of the Indians or Natives. In fact, the Amazonian arapaima or piraruku (its second name) is not a fruit, not a throwing hatchet. Because giant arapaima is a fish that lives, as you might guess, in South America, and now we will get to know you better.
Amazon Arapaima - a miracle swallow
Piraruk is not even fish, but fish, because individual individuals can reach almost four meters in length, and the weight, according to the Guiana Indians, reaches two centners! Believe me, the rest of the individuals have not gone too far from the champions. Despite its impressive size, the Amazonian arapaima patrols the upper layer of water in the river, swallowing crustaceans or small fish. But sometimes it takes revenge on the birds for their "brotherhood", and the gapeous birds disappear in the mouth of the pyraruka. Incidentally, the oral cavity (and beyond) is covered with a special tissue, similar in structure to pulmonary. Surfacing from a depth of twenty meters, Pyraruk gasps in his mouth, breathing in with force, makes a characteristic very loud sound.
Amazonian Arapaim: Neither in a Tale to Say nor a Pen to Describe
Despite their notoriety, arapaims are very beautiful fish. An elegant, streamlined powerful body gracefully and quickly moves in a straight line (sometimes it painfully bangs its head against the walls of a glass house, which can lead to death). Fish head of unusual shape, decorated with powerful plates. By the way, males have special glands on their heads; their secret attracts small arapaimchat (or pyraruchat) for some time and prevents the fish family from breaking up. The cubs grow very quickly and soon leave their father, ceasing to feel the native smell. Arapayma (photo accompany the article) has a fantastic color. The color scheme may remind someone of a fairly common space print (or background). Just imagine: the greenish-blue color of the angular scales towards the middle of the body smoothly flows into a brown, crimson. The regal fin is bright red.
What to catch pyraruka?
Amazon arapaima is one of the so-called fossil fishes (like coelacanth, a mysterious bone fish), not many people had the honor of seeing arapaima live in natural conditions - in the waters of the Amazon or near lakes. Amazonian fishermen know that if they caught pyraruka, then this is the greatest luck, because the coral-colored tender flesh outstrips the same salmon or trout in taste and costs simply fabulous money. In our country there are many brave souls who organize extreme tours to the very heart of the so-called world artery in order to gain adrenaline and fish for life, and even tell grandchildren about the best fishing in their life. However, you should be aware of what titanic efforts it takes to prepare for such an event, because you have to stretch a hundred pounds! But think, is it worth killing such a beautiful creature just for the sake of being able to boast? Better go to the aquarium.
