Fish
Tambaqui
Colossoma macropomum
Swimming deep into flooded Amazon forest during the high-water season, a tambaqui cracks open fallen nuts and seeds with flat, molar-like teeth, one of the largest scaled freshwater fish found anywhere in South America.
Overview
The tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, is a Least Concern fish found across rivers and seasonally flooded forest throughout the Amazon basin. Its molar-like teeth, substantial size, and role as an important seed disperser make it one of the more ecologically significant fish species in the Amazon, alongside its major importance as a food source for people.
An underwater orchard worker
As Amazon rivers rise and spread into surrounding forest each year, the tambaqui follows the water in to feast on fallen fruit, nuts, and seeds, later depositing many of those seeds unharmed far from where it found them, a service that helps shape the composition of the flooded forest itself.
Status
Least Concern, remaining present across much of the Amazon basin, though facing significant fishing pressure as an important food fish in parts of its range.
Tambaqui: common questions
Why does the tambaqui have teeth like human molars?
Its flat, molar-like teeth are well suited to cracking open hard nuts and seeds, a feeding strategy shared with its close relative the pacu.
How does the tambaqui help the forest it lives in?
By swallowing seeds and carrying them away from the parent tree before excreting them, the tambaqui acts as an important seed disperser for plant species across the Amazon's flooded forest habitat.
How big does the tambaqui get?
It ranks among the largest scaled freshwater fish found anywhere in South America.
Is the tambaqui important to people?
Yes, it is heavily fished and farmed across the Amazon basin, serving as a major food source for communities throughout the region.