The rotting carcass of a fish dubbed the “Amazonian monster” washed up on a shore in Florida, surprising experts.
Although it can grow in the warm waters of Florida, the arowana or sea dragon (Arapaima gigas), a fish that can grow up to 3 meters in length and weigh 200 kilograms, faces a number of adverse conditions. This is because they only breed in specific areas, spend a lot of time and energy caring for their young, do not mature until 1.5m in length, and at least 3-5 years. In addition, this fish needs more individuals to maintain a stable population in Florida.
In this case, the dead arowana is most likely a private pet. It may grow too large for the reservoir to contain and be illegally released into the wild or die in captivity and be dumped in the river, says Solomon David, an ecologist at Nicholls University in Louisiana.
The arapaima carcass was discovered in Jaycee Park in Cape Coral, on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico in western Florida in early March. The common arowana has blue scales and a red tail, but the dead fish turn white due to decay. Although the individual was less than 3 meters in length, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that it was an arowana.
Arowanas were once widely distributed in many parts of the Amazon River, but they are now endangered in their natural habitat. Arowana belongs to the group of fish with bony tongues, with a tongue covered with teeth and a body covered with large scales that are hard like armor. Their scales are so hard that even piranhas cannot bite through. Arowanas have developed a unique way of breathing because the Amazon River has low levels of oxygen. They don’t have lungs but have a special type of tissue in their bladder that helps process oxygen.
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