Pirarara, the truck of the water.

Scientific Name: Phractocephalus hemiliopterus
Family: Pimelodidae

Ok, the name is really Pirarara, it’s not wrong.

If you are coming to Brazil and intend to catch one of these, you must learn how to pronounce its name.

I’m not a Portuguese teacher but I’ll try:

First, the letter “i” has the same sound that in “bit” and the ‘r’ in this case sounds like the “t” in “data” (American pronunciation). The main stress is in the second “ra”.

So it’s like /Pita’tata/.

It leaves in Amazon and Araguaia-Tocantins Basins.

The Pirarara can reach 3,2 ft in length ans weigh up to 110 lb. It’s like a big colorful catfish.

This fish is a very violent carnivorous that feeds on another fish, fruits and crabs.


Some Amazon native people say that it attacks human beings, especially children swimming in the rivers, but I don’t know if it’s true or just a legend.

If you like your other fish, don’t put a pirarara with them in the same aquarium. Take a look what could happen: