AMAZONAS 15 - owanas ysh owanas owana ntadon apaima frican ar Heterotis Pa Ar A eshwater butter fr South American ar Asian and Australian ar ysh owanas At 19 inches, this African arowana this African inches, 19 At the ) sifting through niloticus (Heterotis 3 reach can They semi-adult. is only sand pounds 20 over weigh and long m) (1 feet Pickett Joshua Photo: (9 kg). the of (extant) Living Inset: simplified tree, family arowana African bottom: page Opposite with acute them providing eyes large have surroundings. in dark vision Pickett Joshua Photo: . butter bonytongues true ar ntadontidae Pa Osteoglossidae Arapaimadae contains two genera, theArapaimadae contains genera, mighty two flyfish), Osteoglossidae (true and Arapaima- ), dae (also called bonytongues). a group South , giant and bony of Arapaima American, to fishes, and genus Heterotis the monotypic which the has single species H. niloticus belongs. Heterotis Phylogenic Relationships Phylogenic Despite their name, African true are not arowanas but ratherarowanas, cousins of the Both arowana. be- fishes calledlong to an order of ray-finned the Osteoglos - siformes Within (commonly called bonytongues). this order are the (elephantfishes, suborders featherfin and aba knifefish, and Osteoglos knifefishes) - thesoidei. Following path of Osteoglossoidei are three classifications, lower the families Pantadontidae (butter Osteoglossoidei African arowanas have interesting feeding routines routines interesting feeding African have arowanas bright lighting may damage theirbright damage eyes. lighting may In the aquarium, or surface an area of dense foliage be sure to provide (or dimmer lights), so theycover can seek temporary respite from harsh lighting. that adults to be on the regularly; they require move must be able to see and recognize hiding predators, especially when they so close to the feed where bottom In aquaria,predators wait once in camouflage. they African become used to you, associate you arowanas with This is nothing among fishes with food. unique good vision, as those tetraodontids (puffers) who keep agree, would althoughand channids (snakeheads) an and quicker African you be able to spot may arowana from further away. -

swims in African water ways, occasionally dragon

silvery Fossil records indicate thatFossil records the ancestors of the

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by Joshua Pickett a tant them; eyes for gather large more light, aiding with vision at dusk and allowing greaterfor of their awareness surroundings, exposure and prolonged to finding its into way the pet trade. The African niloticus) is an ob- (Heterotis arowana servant fish from the prehistoric family which first appeared in bonytongue the late seen theseyour local aquarium have fish in ago. If you 220 million years Triassic, them),shop (no doubt they found you the before you first spotted you prob- thing is their eyes to theirably noticed relative huge body size. Vision is critically impor ) have changed little over the span little over changed (HeterotisAfrican niloticus) have arowana Josh Pickett us to the introduces of millions of years. ancient Heterotis lineage and also provides important and also provides informationlineage on what it takes to maintain the a home aquarium. fish in

STORY

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OF THE NILE OF THE DRAGONS AMAZONAS 14