Fish

When searching for food, it often swims with it head bowed down. During breeding, the female deposits it eggs in areas where aquatic vegetation is dense.

Acary avion is a medium-sized armored catfish (max 30 cm) native to the Tocantins, Solimões, and Ucayali basins in South America. It is distinguished by a dark brown coloration dotted with white spots on the body and fins, and the absence of stripes on the tail.

Found from the Amazon to the Orinoco, the saddle cichlid occupies a wide variety of freshwater habitats. An opportunistic species, it adapts its breeding behavior to seasonal hydrological cycles.

An ambush predator, the oscar quietly hunts fish, crustaceans, and insects in the calm, wooded waters of South America. It has been introduced to various countries with detrimental environmental consequences, notably in Florida and Puerto Rico.

Native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, the Amazon leaffish inhabits forest streams and backwaters with dark, acidic, and shallow waters. This ambush predator perfectly mimics a dead leaf and mainly preys on small fish (Characids) by rapidly sucking them in.

The Silver Arawana is a carnivorous fish originating from the tropical waters of the Amazon. A unique feature of this species is that males protect the eggs by practicing mouthbrooding, a rare strategy in the region. They are also known for their impressive jumping ability out of the water to catch prey, reaching heights of nearly two meters.

The Neon Tetra is a small tropical fish (max 4 cm) native to the western Amazon basin, particularly the Putumayo and Solimões rivers. It is recognized by its iridescent blue stripe running the full length of its flank and its red band covering only the posterior half of the body.

Mostly herbivorous, appreciates the ripe fruits fallen from trees whose seeds it helps disperse. In the aquarium trade, it is sold under the name "herbivorous piranha". Because of its size, it is not recommended for specimens aquariums. It is bred in pisciculture.

Locally known as 'cunchi' or 'pez gato moteado', this small South American catfish has a beige and silver body with black spots. It lives in groups, is active at twilight and dawn, and undertakes long freshwater migrations to reproduce during the rainy season.

The male is much smaller and more colorful than the female. It is an ovoviviparous species, the male fertilizes it partner through its anal fin which forms a kind of gutter. It is the most popular aquarium fish, there are many varieties.

A large migratory species in the Amazon and Tocantins basins, the Black Prochilodus undertakes massive seasonal movements between floodplains and major rivers, playing a key role in energy and nutrient transfer. Its survival is threatened by hydroelectric dams and declining water quality in the Amazon.

The stripes of it body allow it to hide. Parents lay their eggs in the vegetation, and provide for their offspring long parental care (custody, ventilation ...). Very popular among aquarists: there are many color varieties obtained through breeding.

Widely distributed across the Amazon Basin and the Guianas, Schizodon fasciatus is a large fish (up to 40 cm) valued as a food source. Annually, these fish migrate into white-water rivers to spawn at the beginning of the flood season.

It is a nocturnal hunter. It lives in the bottom of the rivers, where it remains upright to hide among the reeds. It fits well in a large aquarium. But we must avoid leaving it with small fish that it could eat.

Widely distributed from Costa Rica to Argentina, the longtail knifefish is a carnivorous species that uses electric signals for hunting and communication.

Found in the Ucayali (Peru) and Yavari (Brazil) basins, Sturisoma nigrirostrum is characterized by its very elongated body (up to 30 cm), its widened snout with a dark ventral face, and its lateral stripes. Restricted to rivers with soft bottoms, it is an herbivorous species that grazes on periphyton.