EntdeckenFische

Tambaqui / Cachama

Colossoma macropomum

The Tambaqui, also known as Cachama, is a big, friendly fish that lives in rivers and lakes. It has a round body and loves to eat fruits and seeds that fall into the water.

Lebensraum: Freshwater rivers and lakes

Aussehen

The Tambaqui / Cachama is a large, deep-bodied fish with a disc-like shape, sporting dark grey to black coloration dorsally that fades to a lighter yellowish belly. It has strong, piranha-like teeth and prominent scales, making it distinct among large Amazonian fish.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseActinopterygiiOrdnungCharaciformesFamilieSerrasalmidaeGattungColossoma

Tambaqui / Cachama

Kategorie

Fische

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Locals often call them 'fruit eaters' because of their love for fallen forest fruits.

Tambaqui are cousins to piranhas but prefer fruits and seeds over meat!

They are one of the largest scaled freshwater fish in South America, weighing up to 44 kg!

Young Tambaqui sometimes hide among piranha schools for protection!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Tambaqui can crush tough seeds and nuts with their powerful, molar-like teeth, helping them exploit a unique food source.

Tambaqui can survive in low-oxygen waters by gulping air and using specialized blood oxygen absorption, enabling survival during dry seasons.

Tambaqui helps spread seeds of fruit-bearing trees throughout the Amazon, acting as an important aquatic seed disperser.

Maße und Details

Länge: 50-110 cm
Gewicht: 10-44 kg
Lebenserwartung: 10-18 Jahre
Schwimmgeschwindigkeit: 20 km/h
Maximale Tiefe: 20 m
Wasserart: Süßwasser

Ernährung und Fütterung

These large omnivorous fish eat a huge variety of foods, mainly fruits, seeds, and zooplankton.

Altersunterschiede: Young Tambaqui primarily eat zooplankton, gradually shifting to fruits, seeds, and larger plant matter as they grow.

Hauptnahrung

fruits
seeds
zooplankton
insects
algae
small fish

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

Tucum Palm

Astrocaryum vulgare

disperses seeds of its fallen fruits

eaten by

Spectacled Caiman

Caiman crocodilus

young Tambaqui are prey for caimans

eaten by

Human

Homo sapiens

a significant food source for Amazonian people

Merkmale

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.