Arapaima - Арапайма - Арована

The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche (Arapaima gigas) is a South American tropical freshwater fish. It is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Species A. gigas is the only generally-recognized species of the genus Arapaima. In 1829, Swiss biologist Louis Agassiz produced a monograph of another proposed species found in the Brazilian Amazon and named A. agassizii in 1847. Other proposed species include A. arapaima from Guyana and A. mapae from northeastern Brazil. Anatomy and morphology Arapaima can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6.6 ft), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and over 100 kg (220 lbs). The maximum recorded weight for the species is 200 kg (440 lbs). As one of the most sought after food fish species in South America, it is often captured primarily by handheld nets for export, by spearfishing for local consumption, and, consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m are seldom found in the wild today. The arapaima is torpedo-shaped with large blackish-green scales and red markings. It is streamlined and sleek, with its dorsal and anal fin set back near its tail. Its local name, paiche, derives from the indigenous words for "red" and "fish". Arapaima gigas scales have a highly mineralised, very hard outer layer with a corrugated surface under which lie several layers consisting of collagen fibres. In a structure similar to 'plywood' the fibres in each successive layer are orientated at right angles to that in the previous layer for maximum toughness. The hard corrugated surface of the outer layer, the soft but tough internal orthogonal collagen layers and the hydration of the scales all contribute to their ability to flex and deform while remaining strong -- a solution that allows the fish to remain mobile while heavily armoured and enables it to live in piranha-infested lakes, where no other animals could survive. The arapaima has a fundamental dependence on surface air to breathe. In addition to gills, it has a modified and enlarged swim bladder, composed of lung-like tissue, which enables it to extract oxygen from the air. This is an adaptation to the often hypoxic conditions of the Amazon floodplains, but requires the arapaima to surface for air every 5 to 15 minutes. This tendency to stay at the surface makes it more vulnerable to attacks from spear fishermen. Арапаима, или гигантская арапаима, или бразильская арапаима, или гигантская арапа́йма, или арапайма, или пираруку, или пураруку, или пайче (лат. Arapaima gigas) — тропическая пресноводная рыба из семейства аравановых отряда араванообразных. Вид выделяется в монотипный род арапаимы (Arapaima). Из-за своей архаичной морфологии считается живым ископаемым. Происхождение названия Научное название этого вида Arapaima gigas происходит от названия арапаима, так называют эту рыбу гвианские индейцы, и латинского gigas — «гигантская», бразильские индейцы называют её пираруку, что означает «красная рыба», из-за красновато-оранжевого цвета мяса и ярко-красных пятен на чешуе и непарных плавниках. Music by: Mark Subbotin - Unknown Lemuria