Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

ON EXHIBIT:  River Stingrays in Ocean Journey

FUN FACTS
Silver arawanas are members of a primitive group of fish known as bony tongues.  These air-breathing fish have a primitive lung that allows them to live in conditions that have low oxygen.  Arawanas are mouthbrooding fish, which means that one of the parents, the male in this case, will carry eggs and young in his mouth to protect them until they are old enough to go out on their own.  Arawanas are popular fish for hobbyists and are sometimes purchased as juveniles that still have a yolk sac.  These fish generally don’t do very well in home aquariums because they are not ready to leave their parents; if they do survive, they often outgrow their tanks within a few years.

CONSERVATION
Arawanas are found in the Amazon River, which is the second longest river in the world.  Habitat along the Amazon River has been degrading due to logging and other development.  This causes banks to erode, which decreases water quality and negatively affects the animals that reside there.  Many of the threats to the Amazon can be curbed by making sure that you purchase goods such as Brazil nuts, mangoes, shade grown coffee and chocolate from sustainable sources.