Pirarucu or Paiche are the popular names for "Arapaima gigas", they are the largest freshwater fish of South America, and among the largest freshwater fish in the world. Arapaima can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6 ft 7 in), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and over 100 kg (220 lb). As one of the most sought-after food fish species in South America, it is often captured primarily by handheld nets for export, by spearfishing for local consumption, and consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m (6 ft 7 in) are seldom found in the wild today. The fish is now farmed in a very sustainable way, in the wild by specific communities throughout the Amazon.

Stunning necklace handmade with Amazonian seeds en scales