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The Paiche in Peru, called Pirarucú in Brasil, is one of the largest fresh water fishes in our planet. The record of the largest specimen is that of a 2,32 meters long and 133 kilos male.
The Paiche lives in the Amazon River, both in Peru and in Brasil. Their habitat are ñales and calm rivers of the Amazon basin, and, high density waters with aquatic plants and shore vegetation. When the water level decreases too much, they bury themselves in the mud leaving their heads outside, probably that is why they breathe like that. The Paiche can live in waters with little oxigen content due to the fact that they have the capacity to capture air from the surface by means of their fish maw or |
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swim bladder used as a sort of lung to capture more oxigen.
It feeds mainly on crustaceous fish, insects, even birds and plants (algae, huama, gramalote and fruits)
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The Paiche's predators, especially when young, are birds (Sharara, Kingfisher, Cushuri, Herons), sometimes fish (Piranhas, Shuyo), sometimes Jaguars or Otorongos, and, parasites, especially Canero (Vandellia sp.), a fish lodged in the gills that suck blood.
Paiche's practice oral incubation and its reproduction has adapted to the environment's great fluctuations, laying eggs between February and April when the water level is low, and, for that purpose builds a 50 cm wide and 15 cm deep nest usually in sandy areas. When the water level descends, the eggs burst in the flood season and have more water to prosper during the months of May to August.
The male looks after the nest and carries the eggs in his mouth in order to change their place.
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