Pirarucu

A Large Carnivorous Fish From the Amazon River

Pirarucu live in the Amazon River and are one of the world’s largest freshwater fish. Their bodies have remained relatively unchanged for 100 million years, which is why some call them a living fossil. They not only breathe from their gills, but need to breathe surface air, too. From time to time, they can be seen poking their head out of the water and sucking in air. As they are carnivorous, there is an exciting feeding show held on Saturdays at which they impressively eat other fish whole. Come touch their robust scales and spiky tongue at the Discovery Room.