What prevents the piranhas from eating the fishes in their display?
• Piranhas are fed well at the Aquarium. The small fishes, which share the exhibit, are too small and fast to fall prey to the much larger piranhas. Besides piranhas, what other dangerous fishes inhabit the Amazon? • Freshwater stingrays are very dangerous. They do not attack people, but their venomous spines can cause injury to anyone who steps on them in the often opaque waters of the Amazon. Look for stingrays beside the piranha exhibit. • The electric eel is another potentially dangerous fish. Long electric eels can kill by discharging between 400 and 600 volts of electricity. The longer they are, the more power they have. How large do fishes grow in the Amazon? • At 4.5 m, the arapaima is the largest fish in the Amazon. One arapaima is housed in the large, curved habitat seen immediately upon entering the Graham Amazon Gallery. Why do the arapaimas gulp air at the water’s surface? • Arapaima are air-breathing fish. In the Amazon this is an advantage because the river tends to have
