| Fish is the main source of the diet, although the arapaima will eat birds or small animals if they are available. |
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| Even though it is large, the arapaima is a graceful swimmer and it is valued as an aquarium fish as well as for food. |
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| The Brazilian government has now banned commercial fishing for arapaima, but enforcement is difficult. |
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| Meanwhile the hunt for the arapaima has as many twists as the great river's course. |
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| For this reason, the arapaima tends to float near the surface of the water and is vulnerable to harpoon and spear fishing. |
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| The arapaima is found in the Amazon and Orinoco River drainage of South America. |
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| Currently, there is no information on how much of the Rewa River is used by the arapaima. |
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| Over the last three months my crew and I tagged 20 arapaima with radio transmitters for tracking. |
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| But their size, combined with their need to breathe air to survive, made arapaima extremely vulnerable to poachers. |
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| As I watch the arapaima roll, I realize that finding them is the easy part. |
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| Expansion of the site also enhance the protection of key threatened species including giant arapaima fish, the Amazonian manatee, the black caiman, and two species of river dolphin. |
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| Animals considered of special value to tourism include: the large cats, the harpy eagle, the arapaima, black caiman, giant river otter, the red howler monkey, the black spider monkey and other primates. |
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| Previously, it was thought there was one species of arapaima, which also goes by the common names pirarucu or paiche. |
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| Its more famous endangered creatures include the jaguar, giant river otter, giant anteater, harpy eagle, green anaconda, Guianan cock-of-the-rock, arapaima, and tapir. |
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| These include lungfish, Arapaima, tambaqui, piranha, Hydrolycus, and goliath and pirarara catfishes. |
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