Head to head
Tambaqui vs Pacu
The tambaqui and the pacu are both large, deep-bodied relatives of the piranha that gave up flesh-eating for cracking nuts and seeds with flat, molar-like teeth. Both move into flooded Amazon forest to feed, and both are important seed dispersers, but they are different species with their own distinct size ranges and reputations.
| Tambaqui | Pacu | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Colossoma macropomum | Piaractus brachypomus |
| Family | Serrasalminae (piranha relatives) | Serrasalminae (piranha relatives) |
| Diet | Omnivore, cracking nuts and seeds | Omnivore, mostly herbivore, with fruit, nuts, and seeds |
| Teeth | Flat, molar-like crushing teeth | Broad, flat teeth strikingly similar to human molars |
| Size | One of the largest scaled freshwater fish in South America | Commonly 40-70 cm, can exceed 1 m and 25 kg |
| Ecological role | Important seed disperser in flooded forest | Key seed disperser in Amazonian wetlands |
| Human relationship | Major farmed food fish across the Amazon basin | Popular aquarium fish that frequently escapes or is released worldwide |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Tambaqui vs Pacu: common questions
Are the tambaqui and pacu the same fish?
No, they are different genera within the same subfamily, Serrasalminae. Both have flat, molar-like teeth for crushing nuts and seeds, but the tambaqui is Colossoma macropomum and the pacu is Piaractus brachypomus.
Which is bigger, the tambaqui or the pacu?
Both reach substantial sizes among Amazonian fish, with the pacu commonly 40-70 centimetres and occasionally exceeding a metre and 25 kilograms, while the tambaqui ranks among the largest scaled freshwater fish found anywhere in South America.
Which one turns up more often outside South America?
The pacu is the more frequent escapee, regularly caught in warm waters across the United States, Europe, and elsewhere after outgrowing home aquariums, while the tambaqui stays much more closely tied to its native Amazon and Orinoco range.