# ID this Amazonian fish from vague description

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-amazonian-fish-from-vague-description/463833>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 16, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-amazonian-fish-from-vague-description/463833 "2008-09-16T13:49:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-amazonian-fish-from-vague-description/463833/1 "2008-09-16T13:49:52Z")

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I saw this in an aquarium recently, but didn’t catch the name. It’s one of the usual Amazon suspects, though:

It’s body is eel-like, not much in the way of fins, but it does have a somewhat short dorsal fin running down about the last 1/3 of its body.

I seem to recall it has a “c” in the name, but that doesn’t help much. The only one I could think of was “pacu,” and I know it wasn’t that.

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**Author:** ![Erasmus\_Darwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@Erasmus\_Darwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erasmus_Darwin)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-amazonian-fish-from-vague-description/463833/2 "2008-09-16T14:03:26Z")

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The infamous candiru?

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-amazonian-fish-from-vague-description/463833/3 "2008-09-16T14:21:52Z")

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Found it. Thanks anyway. [Pirarucu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arapaima)

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**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-amazonian-fish-from-vague-description/463833/4 "2008-09-16T18:21:18Z")

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> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#):
>
> Found it. Thanks anyway. [Pirarucu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arapaima)

national geographic channel recently had a show about giant fish in the amazon and that one was featured.