Skip to main content

Silver Arowana

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum
The Silver Arowana is a bony fish indigenous to the Amazon and a handful of other rivers in South America. What is so remarkable about them, and their family, is that they are considered to be an ancient group of fish. Fossilized ancestors have been uncovered that show these fish have remained relatively unchanged for 150 million years!

Silver Arowanas are quite large, and can grow almost 4 feet long! They are covered with large, pearly scales and have an elongated body with a tail that is tapered off. They swim about near the surface, and have an upturned jaw that lets them open up and snatch things floating on the water. Silver Arowanas are carnivores that will eat just about anything that they can fit in their mouths. They also have the ability to jump several feet out of the water to catch prey.

Silver Arowanas are mouth-brooders. After the female lays her eggs, the male will incubate them in his mouth until they hatch nearly two months later!

Some experienced aquarists keep these fish as pets, and they are not recommended for novices. They require tanks that are 250 gallons in size, and the tanks need to stay covered, otherwise they might jump out!
IUCN Status :  Not Listed
Location : Amazon flood plain, South America
Size : Length up to 45in (114cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Osteoglossiformes
Family : Osteoglossidae -- Genus : Osteoglossum -- Species : O. bicirrhosum
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent
Post a Comment
Read more