Osteoglossum

Osteoglossum
Osteoglossum bicirrhosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Actinopterygii
Order:Osteoglossiformes
Family:Osteoglossidae
Genus:Osteoglossum
Cuvier, 1829
Species

2, see text

Osteoglossum is a genus of fish in the family Osteoglossidae. They reach about 1 m (3.3 ft) in length and are restricted to freshwater habitats in tropical South America.[1][2]

These predators mostly feed on arthropods like insects and spiders, but may also take small vertebrates such as other fish, frogs, lizards, snakes, bats and small birds.[3] They jump up to 2 m (6.6 ft) out of the water to pick the prey off branches, tree trunks or foliage, which has earned them the local name "water monkeys".[3] They are the largest fish in the world that catch most of their food out of water.[3] When breeding, the male protects the eggs and young by carrying them in the mouth.[1][4]

They are sometimes kept in aquariums, but they are predatory and require a very large tank.[4]

Species

There are two species:[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Olivares; Hrbek; Escobar; and Caballero (2013). "Population structure of the black arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai) in Brazil and Colombia: implications for its management". Conserv. Genet. 14 (3): 695–703. doi:10.1007/s10592-013-0463-1.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2017). Species of Osteoglossum in FishBase. February 2017 version.
  3. 1 2 3 Carvalho, L.N.; J. Zuanon; I. Sazima (2007). "Natural history of Amazon fishes". In Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. Tropical Biology and Natural Resources Theme. 1. Eolss Publishers, Oxford. pp. 1–24.
  4. 1 2 Hill, N. (13 June 2016). "Predators: South American Arowana". Practical Fishkeeping. Retrieved 25 October 2017.


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