The Giant Fish That Makes Milk 

"Man this water is filthy. I need some air...Man this air is polluted. I need some water... And thus began the teeter totter life of the Arapaima.

So you're telling me this fish drowns .

Loved the episode. Also ty for putting more emphasive how humans are able to help the fish, not just how they are doing bad for the fish. They often do that in documenteries and gives a depressing after taste. Your way of talking about the subject makes you more hopefull and gives insight on how you can help the fish and river

Loved the fact of how the researchers managed to make a solution that benefits natives, tourists, and the large fish and there offspring.. without a negative drawback for all parties involved.

Real Science: *mentions arapaima* Jeremy Wade: *PTSD intensifies*

Fish that make milk is a sentence that not many have never heard before.

An interesting (and sad) fact: the range of the species used to be much bigger. Today, it's possible to find small populations in the Tocantins-Araguaia basin, hundreds of kilometers away from the Amazon basin. A few decades ago, it was quite common to spot them even in some smaller Araguaia river tributaries. My grandfather, who spent most of his youth as a poor farmer in the state of Goiás, tells stories about how they used to catch the Pirarucu (this is how we call the Arapaima in most regions of Brazil) only to use its fat as traditional medicine.

All the best milks come from skull orifices.

Ive always dreamt of milking a fish

What an amazing and unusual species, and an extremely well done video!

Wow. I'm brazilian and I've never listened something about this of this fish. Here, this fish is very famous for its size, but sadly no one knows more about it

12:16 jesus that dude almost took a 200 lb missle straight to the dome

Meant to be going to bed and I’m learning about fish milk

Once whilst dating a Chinese girl her family came to visit here in Australia, we all went to the Aquarium together, as we walked around the aquarium looking at all the beautiful and rare fish, her father, a successful importer/exporter from Singapore, kept excitedly going 'I've eaten that one, and that one, oh and that one there too!'

This fish: Stand aside Anacondas and Piranhas, there's a new sheriff in town. Humans: Ah yes, dinner’s ready.

*The closet you look the weirder they get* _I just found out my spirit animal_

Everytime I learn about an amazing animal, I also learn that they're endangered

Wait, is nobody going to talk about how fishes can breath air in, and fart it out.

Fish in the genus Symphysodon, commonly known as discus fish and also originating from the Amazon region, exhibit very similar brood care with releasing a milk-like liquid for their fry. Unlike in the case of Arapaima, the 'milk' of Symphysodon does seem to provide the young with nutrition.

3:08 whoah those eyes

It's really upsetting that we could be the end of an awesome fish like that. 23 million years...

Arapaima Milk - coming to a "health" food store near you

I actually didn't know it was also called Arapaima. I'm Brazilian, but I've always known it as "Pirarucu", which in Tupi means "red fish". Great video btw! 👏🏻

"Most fish simply lay their eggs and then bounce." This is Sparta?

this feels like a transitional species to another group of fish moving to the land and tbh i think thatd be so cool

There's one video clip here in the Philippines about a pet owner and his only pet, which, of course, is an arapaima; that he took care of his whole life in his backyard-turned-fishpond, but sadly passed away. Someone volunteered to preserve the fish's remains and the owner agreed, to be made as a display piece (a big one) but I don't know what came of it. Needless to say, that's a big pet he's proud of.

Arapaima... But my friends call me Pirarucu 🇧🇷

I’ve loved arapaimas since the elementary days. Never knew they produced milk though!

Thank you for using the metric system! I was expecting for you to say that the arapaima can weigh up to 200 lbs

Arapaima actually became pets in Southeast Asia especially Malaysia Singapore....... A fish symbolic "Luck" and it could sell at a crazy high price over USD10K if the colour and shape are "right"......

These are cool fish and I'm stoked to see someone making shows to spread awareness about them

Really liked this one! Thanks for sharing

Great channel. I am so happy I found you. I will add this to my marine science curriculum

Not necessarily most fish spawn and dump, many fish are incredible parents, like most of the Cichlid family. Also, fish like the Uaru and discus produce milk for their young.

There are a few freshwater fishes larger than arripima, such as the pariba, an Amazonian catfish that can grow upwards of 3 meteres (google says 3.6 meters), or sturgons, I believe the white sturgon can grow near 16 feet, and the beluga sturgeon are even larger. Alligator gar can grow around 3 meteres as well.

The fact that I rooted for the fish at the near ends really tells something about me

Fantastic video! It really warmed my heart to know that with regulations on fishing, the populations bounced back massively. One thing I should add though is that Arapaima are not the largest freshwater fish. They make top 10, maybe top 5, but the number 1 spot goes to the Beluga sturgeon.

So is it evolving into a mammal.

Just found your channel and after watching several of your videos I felt I had to say thank you to you and your team for the quality content. Each piece I have seen is exceptionally fascinating and provides an incredible resource for their respective topics. The information feels thoroughly researched and the passion you have for each subject really comes through in your script and narration. The stock of footage and accompanying diagrams is exceptional as well, making for a truly delightful viewing experience. I also very much appreciate the detail of supplementary information explored in each video concerning how and why certain traits may have formed, and what significance they have compared to the broader spectrum of evolution, or how such adaptations can have applications in human endeavors. I know an enormous amount of work must go into making each of these videos, so thank you again so much for the effort put into spreading the knowledge and awareness of these and other incredible creatures, and the passion in which you do so.

These are not the largest freshwater fish in the world, multiple species of sturgeon, paddlefish, and maybe even catfish are larger. They're on the list, but not the top

Interestingly, the teleost swim bladder did in fact evolve from the primitive lung, so the two are in fact analogous. The lineage that went on to become tetrapods developed it to be a much more efficient lung, whereas in the ancestors of bony fish it turned into a buoyancy control organ. Those fish that still use their swim bladders to absorb oxygen are amongst some of the most primitive surviving lineages of modern fish. They have retained this ability from their ancestors, rather than evolve it as a new adaptation, whereas most species of fish have lost it.

Infact there are other fishes that make milk. Such as discus fish. Not like mammalians of course, it is secretion of mucus from skin full of proteins and antibodies.

The fishing tours are like “pay us to let you traumatise these fish we’re keeping safe”

This was a very good and informative video. Really amazed to know about this fish 🐟

If there's a Malaysian watching this, there's a couple of Arapaima in one of the lakes in FRIM. It's difficult to see them properly since it's a murky lake but when they come up to breathe you can see enough to make them out.

10/10 video. Well written, researched, edited, narrated, and full of interesting tidbits of information! *subscribes to Real Science*

Now I wanna try fish cheese

12:15 Holy shit that was like watching a cow do show jumping. Wtffff

I believe (though I may be wrong) that aripima are farmed for the commercialy and that fishing for wild arripima for the market is illegal in some parts of brazil.

I've heard some humans (depending on whether they carry a gene variant) produce two types of milk, first a milk called colostrum that is similar to the milk of these fish that contains immune compounds, and then the regular type of milk that is mostly nutritional content.

Im from Guyana, i can remeber growing up always going for walks to a local petting in my neighbourhood and visiting the arapaima, even petting them.

Arapaima: *makes milk Milk fish (has milk colored meat): "Am I a joke to you?"

Animal Crossing didn't teach me about this...

That thumbnail is a true gem. *serving suggestion

The ones that aren't catadromous are small fish . The arapaima are one of at least 7 species of fish whose introduction could allow the processing plant to open back up. Plus their introduction would increase the sporting opportunities for fishing tourism.

I've actually learned something new. Thanks a lot

5:00 did they just call caiman "amazonian alligator"?

This was a truly mesmerizing piece of new knowledge. Now on to fix my car.

Loving the episode,Thank you

If I make a stew with this fish, the stew essentially becomes cereal?

This fish is unique in this planet and yet not much known by the public. And also this species is far from been extinct, Brasil is floated with fish farmers witch produce milhões of this fishes, the natural fishes is also protected by lawn and the hard working patrols, witchy amazingly protect other species and the forest. Brasil has the greenest and cleanest biomas in the all world ...

But can we milk them?

Mammals: we are the only animals that produce milk! Arapaima: hold my beer.

A magnificent channel, continue sharing such a informative content.👍🇩🇿🇩🇿🇩🇿

Other fact In Indonesia, this fish are introduced as an Aquarium fish, but they are released to the wild, and Arapaima Gigas are listed in 152 banned fish species in Indonesia

Protect all ecosystems that include deserts and forests, wetlands and in-between

Let's not forget that discus fish and some other south american cichlids can produce this so called "milk". As a colombian guy, I feel so lucky to have them locally. Peace!

OK, I think I have my new favorite fish!!

Jag"wire" grinds my gears😤

"Arapaima" *proceeds to have hardmode jungle flashbacks*

Thank you Real Science for highlighting this amazing fish. I liked the explanation about the different types of swim bladders and the structure of the scales. A few mistakes were made though : 0:20 Arapaima gigas is not the largest freshwater fish in the world. The title belongs to the Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) which can exceed 6m. 0:23 Arapaima doesn't generally grow to be 3m long. In fact, they rarely exceed 2.6m (the record was 3.07m). 5:07 Amazonian alligators are called Caimans. Yes they're part of the Alligatoridae family but they're still called caimans, not gators.

me watching: *Terraria war flashback*

The fact that such a unique and fascinating fish is at the brink of extinction due to overfishing is a shame for humanity.

Mammals evolved from fish... Maybe we got our milk from them too

For the record- the Vacuum eating (sucking prey into the mouth) isn’t that special. That’s just a fish thing. Your common goldfish does that.

Here in Brazil we call them pirarucu,which means red fish in some indigenous language that I don't know the name And sorry for the bad English lol

Nice to hear something about the Arapaima, fascinating fellas...

"the fish's skin, called leather..." ok

12:16 damn they're smart too, that was a precise jump!

Scientists: finally we found a fish that can drown under water

Thank you. For this video. It was. Very interesting. And well made.

Very well made video an very informative. I do hope they succeed in creating a wildlife sanctuary there, it's a steap in the right direction. The world's waters fresh/salt *need* all the help it can get.

New research has suggested that there are actually four valid Arapaima species and at least one undescribed one, which is currently known only from the Mamiraua Reserve in Brazil. Until recently, scientists believed that there was only a single species - Arapaima gigas - which has long been considered the world’s largest freshwater fish. Arapaima gigas was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1847, along with three other species: A. mapae, A. agassizii and A. arapaima. In 1868 Albert Gunther studied Arapaima but concluded that Valenciennes had got it wrong and there was only one species - and that was A. gigas. However, new research by Donald Stewart and Leandro Castello which examined these ancient museum specimens has found that Valenciennes was right and there are indeed four valid species. They also found an entirely new one in the protected Mamiraua Reserve.

Great source of knowledge...thank you

5:07 "Jagwire" LOL :')

Uh, now I can see those celebrities commercials promoting ‘fish milk’ for your acne...

"You can milk anything with nipples." -Ben Stiller. This fish had nipples

Im from Peru. They are actually not endangered because we have had breeding farms now for consumption. They are an important part of the diet for people who live in the Amazon.

Here is my theory: the fact that they mostly breathe air (90% of the time) & produce "milk" for their young; means that they are on the verge of evolving into mammals or, in the lesser extent, land dwellers. Just give them millions of years worth of time if my theory is correct.

Everyone thinks that fish lay eggs and bounce, but there's a ton of fish that actually care for their young. Bettas, some cichlids, gouramis care for their young.

Giants of the Amazon... Paraiba: am I a joke to you?

I love these creative protection ways

The fish that has out lived the dino. Amazing.

What does the milk taste like though?

10:05 Yes! Please Protect our Amazon Rain Forest, Thank you! Greetings from Brazil.

Quality content right here gents!

Arapaima is such a cool looking fish in general, they also have really pretty colors.

“The only predators are jag wires” 5:07

0:21 The beluga sturgeon’s larger. 5:09 You mean caimans? They are part of the gator family, but I’ve never heard them referred to as gators themselves.

Fun fact, swim blathers evolved to breath for ancient fishes that lived in low oxygenated waters and it allowed them to live in early rivers and ponds, then allowing them to eat early land animals and move between water bodies over land. It evolved into lungs and swim blathers later in history as primitive fishes don't have them, they just swim.