pinup-starlets

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

Range: The Amazon River Basin

[crosseyedcricketart]

arapaima gigas

arapaima, river giant. 2023 / 24” x 24” / acrylic and glitter on canvas

arapaimas are some of the largest freshwater fish in the world. this is based off a photo I took in the Tennessee aquarium. this is a painting in inverse, meaning the white is shadow and the dark areas are light.

And with some horrible procreate skills, here’s what it “should look like” with the shadows being dark and the highlights being light:

i did my best don’t bully me I’m bad at digital editing

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the pirarucu!

The pirarucu, scientific name Arapaima gigas, is known for its impressive size. Getting as large as 3 meters, and about 10ft in length, the pirarucu is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world! Living in the Amazon river basin, this fish can be found in Peru, Brazil, and Guyana, with an invasive population within Bolivia, and some Eastern Asian countries. It is thought that this fish washed into Bolivia in the mid 1970's when a nearby Peruvian fish farm was flooded, and since then the pirarucu has wreaked havoc among the local fish populations, although the populations introduced into Asia have far less issues. Within their range, these fish prefer to live in slower moving waters or stagnant areas of lakes, and have a breeding season tied to the water amount in local waterways.

The diet of the pirarucu is made up primarily of fish along the basin bed, but a secondary large section of their diet is made up of small insects and other invertebrates at the surface of the water, along with crustaceans and water birds. These fish are air breathers, and must travel to the surface every 10-20 minutes to swallow in a mouthful of air, in a loud gasp, during which time they also hunt for prey. These fish are predated on in their natural habitat by crocodiles, boto, and humans, and they have adapted defenses, the pirarucu has large bony armor spanning the length of the body, similar to that of  plecostomus fish.The lung structure that allows them to breath air is made out of a modified swim bladder that has adapted for easier gas exchange. 

During the drought months of February-April, the pirarucu will begin spawning, laying its eggs. Then after this during the flooding months, these eggs will hatch. For the first 8 days of their lives these fish survive off of a gill structure, before going through a morphology change as the gills adapt to ion absorption rather than water intake. These babies are then protected by the male and female pirarucu within a built nest for up to three months, during which time they can get as large as a 1ft. By it's first year of life, these fish can get as large as 3ft, and reach sexual maturity by their fifth year. Then, they can live as long as 10-20 years. Although we don't know exactly when these fish would have started existing within their family, within Columbia, a 13 million year old fossil of pirarucu, or an ancestor of was found.

That's the pirarucu, everybody. Have a wonderful day!

[beannary]

Commission done for my friend Megan who streams video games here on twitch! Go check her out she's super fun, cool cunty and silly

[colorsoutofearth]

Arapaima (Arapaima gigas) skin detail

Photos by Pete Oxford

[happy-go-iris]

Met a celebrity at the aquarium the other day, she was nice enough to pose for a photo op

[frid-j]

Fibsh

[thehandwixard]

i love my favorite fish the ARAPAIMA :fire: :fire: :fire:

[naumovskidusan]

"Arapaima Monster fish Amazon River For EXTREME ANGLERS Pirarucu Paiche" by Olivera Pavlovic Naumovski on INPRNT

[i-give-you-a-fish]

Can I get a pretty, ancient fish. Or maybe just a pretty ancient fish?

...Maybe something like sounds like, "Cherry pie, ma?" IDK UH

*cracks knuckles* comin right up

You get a Giant Arapaima

Arapaima gigas

[bethanythebogwitch]

It's big, it's strong, its scaly, it's this week's Wet Beast Wednesday topic! An arapaima, also known as a pirarucu or paiche, is any of four species of fish in the genus Arapaima in the order of bony-tongued fish. There is som ongoing debate about the classification of the species, so to keep thing simple, I'm going to use the most common species names of Arapaima gigas (the type species and most well known, and the one with the most confusion about its classification), Arapaima agassizii, Arapaima leptosoma, and Arapaima mapae. Because A. gigas is the most well-studied of the species, unless I say otherwise you can assume everything I say in this post applies to it.

(image: an arapaima)

Arapaimas are bony fish that retain several primitive traits, causing them to sometimes be identified as "living fossils". They are most notable for their size, with A. gigas being a contender for the largest freshwater fish in the world. The maximum recorded size for one was 3.7 meters (10 ft) and 200 kg (400 lbs), but most get to around 2 meters (6.6 ft) long and 200 kg (440 lbs). That average length is decreasing as overfishing of the largest individuals is resulting in a selective pressure for smaller sizes. In addition to their size, they are extremely strong and can move fast if needed. Arapaima are fully capable of leaping out of the water if disturbed or they feel their current pond in unsuitable. Because of their strength, specimens in captivity must be handled with care as they can easy break bones if they slap someone. They live in rivers and lakes in South America, where they are often the top predators.

(image: several anglers with an arapaima)

Arapaimas are obligate air-breathers and will drown if they can't get to the surface to breathe. This is accomplished with a specialized swim bladder. The swim bladder is filled with highly vascularized tissue, letting it act like a lung. This pseudo-lung opens into the mouth using a modified gill arch known as the labyrinth organ. Arapaima gills are too small to sustain them, but they can supplement their oxygen intake with the gills. Juveniles are born exclusively using their gills and transition into air-breathers shortly after hatching. Arapaimas can survive up to a full day out of the water. They typically surface to gulp in air every 15-20 minutes. Breathing makes a loud gulping sound that anglers use to target them.

(image: an arapaima at the surface)

Because of their ability to breathe air, arapaimas are top predators in low-oxygen environments. Non-air breathing fish are forced to slow down in water with low levels of dissolved oxygen as they can't get enough oxygen through their gills. Since Arapaimas breathe air, they can easily chase down lethargic smaller fish. They are especially potent predators during the low season, when water levels lower. A combination of rotting vegetation reducing oxygen levels and ponds getting cut off from rivers and losing a supply of oxygen lets the arapaima reign supreme. Arapaimas are primarily predators that feed on smaller fish, though they will hunt other types of animals and eat fruits and seeds. Even land animals aren't safe as arapaimas have been known to launch themselves out of the water to catch animals near the shore. A combination of sharp teeth and their bony tongues are used to debilitate prey.

(image: an arapaima with its mouth open)

Not content with powerleveling their attack stat, arapaimas also have excellent defense. Their scales have been compared to bullet proof vests. Each has a hard, mineralized outer layer over multiple layers of collagen fibers. These layers are all oriented at an angle to each other to provide extra strength. This orientation of layers is called a Bouligand-type arrangement and is similar to how plywood is assembled. The harder outer layers and flexible inner layers work together to allow for both strength and flexibility. These scales help provide protection form large predators such as caiman and small threats like biting piranha. They also like provide protection from other arapaima, as the fish are aggressive and will fight each other.

(image: a diagram showing the composition of arapaima scales. source)

You probably wouldn't expect a swimming tank of an animal to be a good parent, but you'd be wrong. Arapaimas work together in mated pairs to build nests for their eggs, then cooperate to guard the nest. Once the eggs hatch, the male will practice mouth brooding, keeping his young safe in his mouth. The female will also help by patrolling the area around the male to ward off predators. They secrete pheromones from their heads to ensure the young don't swim too far away. Eggs are laid either in in the low season or as water levels are starting to rise, ensuring that the young become independent during the high season.

(Image: baby arapaimas)

Arapaima are classified as "data deficient" by the IUCN. This means there isn't enough data to properly assess their conservation needs. They are known to be threatened by overfishing. Arapaima make up a large part of the diet of many South American populations. Habitat loss and pollution are also believed to threaten them. They have been introduced to many areas out of their native range and are an invasive species in placed like Florida, Malaysia, and India.

Does anyone else remember these cards? (image: the arapaima card from Weird n' Wild Creatures)

[pleistocene-pride]

Arapaima gigas, also known as the pirarucu, the giant arapaima, or simply the arapaima, is a species of large fish which along with the Slender arapaima, Agassiz's arapaima, and Mapa arapaima make up the genus arapaima. They are native to the rivers, wetlands, and lakes throughout Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Guyana and Peru and have also been introduced throughout Thailand, Malaysia, and India as food/ sport fish. The arapaima is an air breather, which uses its labyrinth organ, to gulp air and absorb surface oxygen. Giving the fish advantage in oxygen-deprived water that is common in the Amazon River Basin. They are omnivorous animals which feed upon fish, crustaceans, fruits, seeds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals. Reaching around 6.6 to 10.1ft (2 to 3.07m) in length and 110 to 440lbs (50 to 200kgs) in weight, the giant arapaima is amongst the largest freshwater fish on earth. They sport flattened heads, torpedo-shaped bodies, with large, blackish-green scales and red markings. It is streamlined and sleek, with its dorsal and anal fins set near its tail. Arapaima scales have a mineralised, hard, outer layer with a corrugated surface under which lie several layers of collagen fibres in a Bouligand-type arrangement, which forms a structure which has the ability to flex and deform while providing strength and protection, thus allowing the fish to be both mobile and heavily armored. Spawning occurs in lakes and river channels during the time of low water levels (August to March). After the young hatch from eggs laid in a nest constructed by both parents, the eggs hatch and are cared for by there father who broods them in his mouth for around 3 months. The mother in turn helps to care and protect said father. Under ideal conditions a giant arapaima will reach sexual maturity at an age of four to five years; and may live upwards of 20.

[ask-jasper-cameron]

YO, I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR JASPER either mod/character/both can answer

1. Whats your MBTI personality type? 2. Whats your moral alignment? 3. Do you have any mental disorders? 4. What are your sexuality and gender, along with pronouns? 5. Are you an introvert, extrovert or an ambivert? 6. What is your aesthetic? 7. Any special interests/hyperfixations? 8. What animal represent you the most?

Yo, mod here!

Here to answer alll your fucking questions,,,,

Surprisingly, Jasper is a fellow ENTP-A! You thought he'd be one of the Ixxx types didn't you?

Just took the moral alignment test as i put myself in Jasper's shoes... He's a chaotic evil. Help.

Now, folks, i'm not a professional, so i won't diagnose him with anything. But, i'll just say this. He stims a lot by shaking his foot like how a dog wags its tail, he also cracks his knuckles from time to time, and he moves a lot when sitting. He likes to stare at people for no apparent reason, and sometimes he zones out. He also has a hyperfixation on animals, specifically ones that aren't mammals. Now idk if this is classified as autism or not, so you guys decide what mental disorder he has.

He is a proud demiromantic/greyromantic asexual, his gender is trans FtM, and his pronouns are he/him. Although he is fine with other pronouns, please please please don't call him she/her, he doesn't really like it if you do. (Fun fact, he is naturally flat from the moment he's born, so surgery isn't an issue for him).

Well, according to the MBTI test, he is an extrovert. But i'll just say he's an extrovert-leaning ambivert, he loves to interact, but by god his social battery drains FAST if not talking with close friends (Finn, Sora, Bailey, you get it).

His aesthetic is probably dark/light academia, with a few bits of chaoscore/gremlincore.

Well, as mentioned before, he has a hyperfixation on all non-mammal animals! Especially fish. His personal favorite fish is Arapaima Gigas, otherwise known as the Pirarucu. His favorite extinct fish is the fan-favorite Sacabambaspis!

I honestly dont know, but maybe the Asian Sheepshead Wrasse. YEA YEA i know i know i only picked this because "funny, haha, transgender FtM!!" But i have no other ideas.

I'll just tag ya'll so ya'll can keep up-to-date with Jasper's info, ALSO PLEASE HELP ME ON QUESTION NUMBER 3

@ask-finn-hollis / @thesilliestofallqueers

@ask-sora-wickerman

@baileythebean

@ask-a-snobby-fencer / @vv4loe

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Drying rivers boost illegal hunting, fishing in Amazon

Johnatan Santos, the director of environmental inspection at the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), stated in an interview with TV Brasil that the drought aggravated by climate change has contributed to a rise in illegal hunting and fishing of endangered species in the Amazon.

“Because of the low water levels, it's easier for criminals to see the animals and capture them quickly,” he said.

The statement followed the seizure of a slaughtered Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) along the banks of the Tefé River in Amazonas state last Tuesday (24).

The operation promoted by the environmental agency also seized 422 kg of pirarucu meat (Arapaima gigas) being sold at the Tefé Municipal Fair, without proof of origin from authorized management.

Continue reading.

[archive-of-artprompts]

🧜‍♂️Send in a number + Character and I'll draw them as a mermaid based on that creature🧜‍♀️

Part 2: Friend suggested a list of more "unconventional" options

Alligator Gar

Amazon river dolphin (aka pink river dolphin)

American Lobster

Arapaima Gigas

Atlantic Wolffish

Barreleye

Bastard Sturgeon

Beluga Whale

Black Crappie

Blue Glaucus

Blue Whale

Cassiopeia Jellyfish

Chambered Nautilus

Cheerleader Crab (aka pom-pom crab)

Chromodoris

Coelacanth

Cuttlefish

Dolphin

Electric Eel

Fried-Egg Jellyfish

Giant Cuttlefish

Giant Isopod

Goliath Tigerfish

Harp Seal

Hermit Crab

Immortal Jellyfish

Leopard Seal

Manta Ray

Mantis Shrimp

Moon Jellyfish

Narwhal

Nembrotha

Northern Pike

Ocean Sunfish

Orca

Pharaoh Cuttlefish

Red-Bellied Piranha

Rainbow Trout

San Francisco Piranha

Sea Angel

Sea Bunny

Snakehead Fish

Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

Spanish Dancer Nudibranch

Spider Crab

Spotfin Frogfish

Spotted Ratfish

Stingray

Terrible Claw Lobster

Yeti Crab

[crosseyedcricketart]

“Arapaima, River Giant” - Painting Post

Original post link / Original post date: October 23 2023

Painting Information: 

Annie K. Haddock “Arapaima, River Giant”  2023 (June-September) 24” x 24”  Acrylic paint & glitter on stretched canvas.

Context, information, and personal thoughts:

Arapaima / Arapaima gigas Size: up to 15 feet Conservation status: Data Deficient Biome: Freshwater / Amazon & Essequibo Rivers

Data is deficient (“Data Deficient”) on their conservation statue while they are listed as “Endangered” according to CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species). This makes their trade strictly regulated. 

They live in the freshwater habitats of the Amazon & Essequibo river systems in northern South America. They have the ability to breathe air, where they can survive 24 hours out of water. They are- strictly speaking- the largest exclusive freshwater fish, meaning only existing in freshwater. 

[Personal Thoughts] 

I absolutely love freshwater fish. I love them. I love going to aquariums and seeing the light cascade through the water and I have always been enamored with the flow and structure of water. I really love freshwater habitats and learning about them; Oceanography, rightfully, gets a lot of attention in relation to the research and exploration put into it. Personally, I love freshwater systems a tad bit more. If I didn’t have to learn physics, I’d want to pursue a career in freshwater biology. But with what I have and I know I am capable of, I can love it as an amateur and maybe spread some information with my art. 

Anyway. I love arapaima’s very much and I find them to be purely gorgeous. Like, they do look weird, but it makes sense. They have what they need to survive and that includes a very snakey body that is resistant to water drag. They’re pure muscle. I love them. They are gorgeous creatures with their vibrant scales and the way they move. They move as though the water isn’t there. They never look as though they are struggling or frantic; they are fluid and look like they’re floating. I would like to pet one. If I was allowed. And the fish was okay with it. 

The Tennessee aquarium has some resident arapaima’s and I absolutely love watching them. They are sometimes active, and sometimes they’re relaxing with some sturgeons. They are in the river giants section of the freshwater journey. The Tennessee Aquarium has given me so much inspiration and love for aquatic creatures and biomes, and I’m sure more paintings will come out of my photography from this wonderful aquarium. If nothing else, I can extend their mission with my art.

References:

https://tnaqua.org/animal/arapaima/

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/arapaima