Piraiba Catfish
Popular Name: Filhote.
Scientific Name: Brachyplatystoma filamentosum.
Geographical Distribution: Amazon and Tocantins-Araguaia River Basin.
Habitat : Deep rivers like Tocantisn-Araguaia.
Feeding : Its a Carnivore, feeds on other fishes.
Reproduction : Migrates over 2,000 miles in other to lay eggs.
Characteristics
It is a very popular fish in the State of Para. It is the second largest freshwater fish in Brazil after the Arapaima Gigas.It has a round body, flat head. All species exhibit long maxillarybarbels that extend past the dorsal fin, but may even extend to the caudal fin. The caudal fin of adult Brachyplatystoma fish is moderately to deeply forked.Brachyplatystoma have specialized pelagic young with greatly elongated barbels and fin filaments, and strongly ornamented pectoral spines. It may weight over 330 pound and measures up to 10 feet. Its popular name Piraíba comes from the Indian language, it means "bad fish", even though it is one of the best fishes for the local cuisine.
