Silver arowana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silver arowana |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Osteoglossum
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| Species: |
bicirrhosum
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The silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) is a cool South American freshwater fish. It's a type of bony fish, meaning it has a skeleton made of bone. This fish belongs to a group called the Osteoglossidae family.
Sometimes, people keep silver arowanas in aquariums. But remember, they are hunters and need a really, really big tank to live happily!
The name Osteoglossum means "bone-tongued." This is because of how their tongue looks. The second part of their name, bicirrhosum, means "two barbels." Barbels are like whiskers that help them sense things. Both names come from the Greek language.
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Where Silver Arowanas Live
This amazing fish comes from South America. You can find it in the Amazon River basin, which is a huge area with many rivers. It also lives in the Essequibo and Oyapock basins.
Silver arowanas live in different kinds of rivers. Some rivers are called "blackwater" because their water looks dark, like tea. Other rivers are "whitewater" and look cloudy. They also live in flooded forests when the water levels are high.
What Silver Arowanas Look Like
This fish has big, shiny scales that look like armor. Its body is long and sleek, and its tail gets thinner at the end. The fins on its back and belly almost connect to its small tail fin.
Silver arowanas can grow quite large. They are usually about 3 feet (0.9 meters) long. But some have been reported to be as long as 4 feet (1.2 meters)! Unlike a similar fish called the black arowana, the silver arowana keeps its shiny silver color its whole life.
Many fish fans call arowanas "dragon fish." This is because their shiny, armor-like scales and the two barbels near their mouth remind people of dragons from old stories.
How Silver Arowanas Behave
The silver arowana is also known as the "water monkey." This is because it can jump out of the water to catch its prey! It usually swims near the top of the water, waiting for a meal.
While some have found parts of birds, bats, mice, and snakes in their stomachs, their main food is smaller creatures. They love to eat snails, crabs, insects like beetles, spiders, and smaller fish. They also eat other animals that float on the water's surface. Their special mouth is perfect for scooping up food from the top of the water.
Protecting Silver Arowanas
The silver arowana is not currently on the main lists for endangered animals. However, many people want to keep them as pets. This means we need to pay attention to their conservation status to make sure they stay safe in the wild.
In 2005, there was a disagreement between Brazil and Colombia about these fish. Young silver arowanas are caught in Colombia to be sold as aquarium pets. Meanwhile, people in the Brazilian Amazon catch adult fish for food.
Because the number of arowanas was dropping, Brazil stopped fishing for them during certain months. Colombia also set its own rules for when people could not catch them.
Many experienced fish keepers like to have silver arowanas as pets. They are easier to get than the Asian arowana, which is much harder and more expensive to own legally.
See also
In Spanish: Arowana plateada para niños
