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| Arapaima |
About 3 meter in length these are the largest freshwater fish. These animals get even more stranger as we look closer to them. From bony tongues to ceramic scales, in everything it begs to differ from others.
Their skin is the most toughest one we have seen till now, used to make leather. Their skin is first covered by a layer of tough scales, making up of 10% of their body weight and the lower layers of made up of alternately arranged collagen fibrils, giving flexibility and also strength, It prevents further damage from a cut though may be disformed they serve the purpose. Their strength proved it self by making into trials for making bulletproof materials by humans.
These are the top predators of the amazon river and it's branches after crocodiles (their one of only few predators). Also there is an another phenomenon that puzzled the locals and researchers is that an arapaima with an offspring releases milk into the water surrounding and near to the baby, which is absorbing it. Research results show that babies with milk are more healthy and a more chance of growing up that the babies that don't and that the difference is significantly drastic. The Milk comes from the multiple serial cavities in the skulls of the male and the female arapaima. Instead of proteins like that of mammals scientist found the components as mostly hormones. Mainly Prolactin, though it's production is seen in mammals shortly after the offspring's birth containing proteins for boosted growth these fish are onto something other than that.
These actions sometimes act as an exemption of what we think as the difference and definition of the mammals and fish, such cases have been challenging scientists (taxonomists) of what and why each classification of animals and plants are done in the way they are.
Swim bladder :-
These are similar to the lungs in the terrestrial animals, connected to the mouth and site of exchanging the gases in and from the blood (Respiration).
Is a special organ unique to marine animals, which is used to maintain their balance and a constant upward force on their body, also reducing the effect of water pressure exerted inwards on it's body. These organs are generally are connected to their gastro - intestinal system, when they gulp air they their swim bladders and burp to deflate it (the opposite).
In other fish these are not connected to the intestinal system or anything related instead the gas of the swim bladder is diffused in and from the blood.
Arapaima though has a very elongated swim bladder, with folded surface providing more surface area for more oxygen absorption.
Despite having gills they drown if put underwater for 10 -15 minutes and can live out of water for about 24 hours. That's a good strategy for them as they live in amazon and it flows on it's banks and on uneven terrains covering decaying plant waste creating Anaerobic conditions. They can absorb oxygen completely even when available in very little amounts and thus survive off these conditions. These adaptations give them more advantage over other competitors.
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As of now scientist are struggling to make progress on arapaima as they are now in highly endangered category, due to the overfishing activities of humans their numbers have been reduced brutally. Thus researches is under - prioritized by the conservation of them until their numbers increase so will our knowledge about them will be.
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