Arapaima

The arapaima (Arapaima gigas) is one of the largest freshwater fishes, an arapaimid of the Amazon and Tocantins-Araguaia basins commonly reaching about 2 m and a maximum of 4.5 m and 200 kg. It is an obligate air breather that surfaces every five to 15 minutes and uses a honeycombed swim bladder, an adaptation to slow rivers, oxbow lakes and flooded forest. It takes fish and other vertebrates by suction. Males guard the nest and brood for three to six months. The IUCN lists it as Data Deficient (1996), while CITES Appendix II has regulated trade since 1975.