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Amazon Fish
By Rhett Butler
[citation]
The Amazon basin contains the largest number of freshwater fish species in the world -- more than 3,000 species.
- The Amazon has some 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are over 1000 miles long.
- The Piramutaba catfish, a giant Amazononian catfish, is thought to migrate a distance of about 2,050 miles (3,300 km) from its nursery grounds near the mouth of the Amazon to its spawning grounds in the upper Amazon.
- Many fish in the Amazon -- like the Tambaqui -- are important dispersers of tree seeds
- The Pirarucu or Arapaima is one of the world's largest freshwater fish attaining a length of up to 16 feet (5 meters).
- Several traditionally saltwater creatures have adapted to freshwater conditions of the Amazon including stingrays, dolphins, and sponges.
Pictures of Amazonian fish:
Recent news articles on the Amazon River
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