Paiche vs Pez león

Arapaima gigas comparado con Pterois volitans

Taxonomy & Classification

Atributo	Paiche	Pez león
Nombre Científico	Arapaima gigas	Pterois volitans
Orden	Osteoglossiformes	Scorpaeniformes
Familia	Arapaimidae	Scorpaenidae
Conservation Status	Data Deficient	Least Concern

Physical Traits

Atributo	Paiche	Pez león
Longitud Máxima	450,0 cm	38,0 cm
Peso Máximo	200,0 kg	1,1 kg
Color	Dark olive-gray to grayish-black back with large scales that become vivid red-orange with black borders on the posterior flanks; belly pale cream; caudal fin reddish and rounded.	White to cream body with alternating bold reddish-brown and white vertical bands; fan-like pectoral fins are banded with red-brown and white spots; long dorsal spines are striped and venomous.

Habitat & Environment

Atributo	Paiche	Pez león
Tipo de Agua	Freshwater	Saltwater
Rango de Profundidad	—	2-55m
Distribución Geográfica	Restricted to the Amazon River basin in Brazil, Peru, Guyana, and Bolivia. Inhabits flooded várzea lakes, oxbows, and large river channels; surfaces frequently to breathe …	Native to the Indo-Pacific from East Africa and the Red Sea to southern Japan, Australia, and the Marquesas. Invasive in the western Atlantic and Caribbean …
Hábitat	Floodplain lakes (várzea) and large river channels of the Amazon basin. Slow-moving, shallow, warm freshwater (26-30°C). An obligate air-breather; rises to surface to gulp air. …	Neritic, coral reefs

Información de Pesca

Atributo	Paiche	Pez león
Pez de Pesca Deportiva	Sí	No
Clasificación de Pelea	10/10	—
Récord Mundial	—	—
Nivel de Mercurio	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

Paiche

Large, firm white fillets with a mild, clean flavor and low fat; historically a staple protein in Amazonian communities. Often salted and dried; sustainable harvest is tightly regulated.

Pez león

Sweet, buttery white flesh once spines are safely removed; increasingly promoted as a sustainable food source in Atlantic waters where it is an invasive species.

Species Overview

Paiche

The arapaima is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, reaching up to 4.5 meters. An obligate air-breather, it must surface every 10-20 minutes to gulp air. Its tongue is bony and used to crush prey against the roof of its mouth.

Pez león

The red lionfish is a venomous coral reef fish native to the Indo-Pacific. Its ornate, striped body and fan-like pectoral fins make it popular in aquariums, but it has become a destructive invasive species in the western Atlantic and Caribbean.