Editing Amazon River (section)

==== Fish ====
[[File:Piranha1.jpg|thumb|[[Characin]]s, such as the [[piranha]] species, are prey for the [[giant otter]], but these aggressive fish may also pose a danger to humans.]]
[[File:Neon tetra 333.jpg|thumb|The [[neon tetra]] is one of the most popular aquarium fish.]]

The Amazonian fish fauna is the centre of diversity for [[neotropical fishes]], some of which are popular aquarium specimens like the [[Neon Tetra|neon tetra]] and the [[Freshwater Angelfish|freshwater angelfish]]. More than 5,600 species were known {{as of|2011|lc=y}}, and approximately fifty new species are discovered each year.<ref name=Albert;Reis/>{{rp|308}}<ref name=Wohl/>{{rp|27}} The [[arapaima]], known in Brazil as the ''pirarucu'', is a South American tropical [[freshwater fish]], one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, with a length of up to {{convert|15|ft|m|order=flip}}.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070724-giant-fish.html Megafishes Project to Size Up Real "Loch Ness Monsters"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903123613/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070724-giant-fish.html |date=3 September 2009 }}. ''National Geographic''.</ref> Another Amazonian freshwater fish is the [[arowana]] (or ''aruanã'' in Portuguese), such as the [[silver arowana]] (''[[Osteoglossum bicirrhosum]]''), which is a predator and very similar to the arapaima, but only reaches a length of {{cvt|120|cm|sp=us}}. Also present in large numbers is the notorious [[piranha]], an omnivorous fish that congregates in large schools and may attack livestock. There are approximately 30 to 60 species of piranha. The [[candirú]], native to the Amazon River, is a species of parasitic fresh water [[catfish]] in the family [[Trichomycteridae]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/92428/candiru |title=Candiru (fish) |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |access-date=18 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718090841/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/92428/candiru |archive-date=18 July 2014}}</ref> just one of more than 1200 species of catfish in the Amazon basin. Other catfish 'walk' overland on their ventral fins,<ref name=Wohl/>{{rp|27&ndash;29}} while the [[kumakuma]] (''Brachyplatystoma filamentosum''), aka ''piraiba'' or "goliath catfish", can reach {{cvt|3.6|m|ft|sp=us}} in length and {{cvt|200|kg|sp=us}} in weight.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eGGqGYEQXDkC&pg=PA31 |title=Fish Conservation: A Guide to Understanding and Restoring Global Aquatic Biodiversity and Fishery Resources |first=Gene S. |last=Helfman |page=31 |publisher=Island Press |year=2007 |access-date=28 March 2016 |isbn=978-1-59726-760-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208041731/https://books.google.com/books?id=eGGqGYEQXDkC&pg=PA31 |archive-date=8 February 2017}}</ref>

The [[electric eel]] (''Electrophorus electricus'') and more than 100 species of electric fishes ([[Gymnotiformes]]) inhabit the Amazon basin. River stingrays ([[Potamotrygonidae]]) are also known. The [[bull shark]] (''Carcharhinus leucas''), a [[euryhaline]] species which can thrive in both salt and fresh water, has been reported as far as {{cvt|4000|km|sp=us}} up the Amazon River at [[Iquitos]] in Peru.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.loyno.edu/lucec/natural-history-writings/bull-sharks-carcharhinus-leucus-coastal-estuaries |title=Bull Sharks, Carcharhinus leucus, In Coastal Estuaries {{!}} Center for Environmental Communication {{!}} Loyola University New Orleans |website=www.loyno.edu |access-date=2019-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804011530/http://www.loyno.edu/lucec/natural-history-writings/bull-sharks-carcharhinus-leucus-coastal-estuaries |archive-date=4 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>