Arapaima

The Arapaima is a river fish that appears in late summer. It was not present in the original N64, and it will only appear between the hours of 4pm and 9am.

Its rarity attributes to its sell price of 10,000 Bells. Its shadow size is huge, and likewise it is the largest river fish. In the 'Bugs and Fish' window in Animal Crossing: City Folk, it is the last river fish, but by no means the ultimate river fish. The fish is the second largest fish in the game, after the shark at about 550 centimeters and it is tied for length with the ocean sunfish.

Donating to the Museum
As with all fish caught in, the arapaima can be donated to the museum in each game by talking to Blathers, who will also give some information on it.

In Animal Crossing
Upon donation, Blathers the curator will say:

"My word! I've never seen such a tremendous specimin! A fish such as this is found only once in a great while. A true rarity among rarities! Extrodinary! Top notch! This, we will treasure, I assure you. Cross my heart and hope to molt. Hoo!

In Wild World
Upon donation, Blathers the curator will say:

"You might think a fish this big might not be appetizing, but it's simply delicious! The arapaima used to be abundant, but overfishing has sadly made them rare. One has to wonder how many species must suffer to satiate the world..."

When donated, it will be in the second tank in the first room.

In City Folk
Upon donation, Blathers the curator will say:

"My, it is massive, isn't it? Not just large, but the largest river-dwelling fish in the world, it's said. Records indicate a specimen some 200 inches in length has been sighted before... Looking at it now, the theory that this fish hasn't changed in 100 million years seems believable!"

This fish, when donated, will appear in the middle right tank.

In New Leaf
In New Leaf, an information board in the aquarium will list information about this fish.

Further Information
The arapaima is the largest freshwater fish in the world. It inhabits the Amazon River in the continent of South America. It is sometimes alternatively called the pirarucu or paiche.

This fish can grow to about 3.2 metres, but many are short of that at around 2-2.5 metres. The supposed maximum length recorded is 4.5 metres, although this comes from an early 19th century second-hand report, and it has not been confirmed. The male of the species is supposed to be a mouthbrooder like the Arowana, meaning the young are protected in its mouth until they are older. The female arapaima helps to protect the male and the young by circling around them to keep them from straying and fending off potential predators. Arapaimas breath air from above the water and get their red coloring from their diet of red crustaceans.