Pirarucu vs Carpe commune

Arapaima gigas comparé à Cyprinus carpio

Taxonomy & Classification

Attribut	Pirarucu	Carpe commune
Nom scientifique	Arapaima gigas	Cyprinus carpio
Ordre	Osteoglossiformes	Cypriniformes
Famille	Arapaimidae	Cyprinidae
Conservation Status	Data Deficient	Vulnerable

Physical Traits

Attribut	Pirarucu	Carpe commune
Longueur maximale	450,0 cm	120,0 cm
Poids maximum	200,0 kg	40,1 kg
Couleur	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.	Olive-brown to dark greenish-bronze back with large golden-yellow scales on the sides; belly yellowish-white; fins are grayish to dark olive; scales have a faint darker edge giving a reticulated look.

Habitat & Environment

Attribut	Pirarucu	Carpe commune
Type d'eau	Freshwater	Brackish
Plage de profondeur	—	0-29m
Aire de répartition	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 Danube and Caspian Sea drainages of central Europe and western Asia. Introduced globally; now one of the most widely distributed freshwater fish …
Habitat	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. …	Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across Asia; introduced globally. Highly adaptable; tolerates turbid, warm, low-oxygen water (4-30°C). Prefers slow-moving water over silty substrates. Important aquaculture species.

Informations sur la pêche

Attribut	Pirarucu	Carpe commune
Poisson de pêche sportive	Oui	Oui
Cote de combativité	10/10	—
Record du monde	—	—
Teneur en mercure	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

Pirarucu

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.

Carpe commune

Dense, moderately fatty flesh with an earthy flavor; improves greatly when sourced from clean, cold water. Central European staple — traditionally braised, fried, or prepared as gefilte fish.

Species Overview

Pirarucu

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.

Carpe commune

The common carp is one of the most widely introduced freshwater fish globally. Originally domesticated in East Asia over 2,000 years ago, it is a sacred fish in many cultures and the primary target species in European coarse fishing.