Giant monster in the Amazon River before extinction

Scientists warn the Arapaima, a fish up to 3m long and weighing 180kg, about to disappear completely in the Amazon basin.

Arapaima, the largest freshwater monster in South America.(Photo: Livescience)

A study published in the August 13 issue of Fisheries Conservation shows that Arapaima, the largest fish in the Amazon basin, is in serious decline. Survey results in fishing communities living in the state of Amazonas, Brazil show that Arapaima disappears on many river sections, where they have appeared quite often.

Arapaima, another name is pirarucu . This is the largest freshwater fish in South America . Primitive lungs allow them to breathe air while the gills allow this species to breathe underwater. This factor helps them grow and thrive in poor oxygen areas.

Usually Arapaima must float on the water for 5 to 15 minutes in each breath. However, the survival advantage makes them prone to detection and hunting, one of the factors causing the number of these organisms to decline rapidly.

Typically, adult Arapaima individuals are about 2.5m long. The longest individual that humans detected reached 4.52m while the heaviest one reached 200kg.