Arapaima gigas
| Arapaima gigas | |
|---|---|
| Beijing Aquarium, China | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Chordata | 
| Class: | Actinopterygii | 
| Order: | Osteoglossiformes | 
| Family: | Arapaimidae | 
| Genus: | Arapaima | 
| Species: | A. gigas | 
| Binomial name | |
| Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822) | |
| Synonyms | |
| 
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Arapaima gigas, also known simply as Arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche, is a species of arapaima native to the basin of the Amazon River. Once believed to be the sole species in the genus, it is among the largest freshwater fish. The species is an obligate air breather, so it needs to come to the surface regularly to breathe air.