What is an African arowana? | 水產百科網

Unlikealltheothers,whicharesurface-feedingpredators,theAfricanarowanaisnot.Itwasonceconsideredtobeafilter-feedingfish,butrecentstudieshave ...

While South America has two Osteoglossum arowanas (the Silver arowana and the Black arowana), and Asia and Australasia have three Scleropages, Africa has a single species — Heterotis niloticus.

Unlike all the others, which are surface-feeding predators, the African arowana is not. It was once considered to be a filter-feeding fish, but recent studies have actually shown that it’s an insectivore, omnivore and detritivore — feeding on small particles of anything that tickles its fancy.

The feeding mode it uses varies according to its age and what habitat it is living in. Little ones, measuring 10-20cm/4-8” long, shift from feeding on small aquatic invertebrates, such as Daphnia, to seeds and detritus.