Arowana - A Brief History Of The Arowana Fish

The arowana is a very old fish dating back to the Jurassic age which is roughly between 150-200 million years ago. The middle Jurassic age was known as "the Age of Reptiles" or dinosaurs as we know them, so this gives some indication of how old this fish actually is.

Through out this time the fish itself has remained almost the same making the arowana fish we see in or pet stores today a living fossil.

A lot of people either have or would like an arowana for a pet but they don't know or realise that this fish has become endangered. The fisher man and collectors don't realise that these fish are disappearing. The stocks of arowana have become very low over the last 50 years. The three main areas today where the fish is found, are Asia, Australia and the Amazon. Luckily owners and breeders of this fish from around the world are helping it to make a comeback.

An arowana in the right environment can grow to a size of around four foot and can weigh between 25-35 pounds. They are known as a fiery aggressive fish in the wild reaching speeds of 25 mph in quick shots to catch there prey. In the Amazon they can be seen leaping from the water to catch insects or small birds in low laying branches. This has earned them the nickname "water monkeys". They are classified as carnivores or meat eaters but will eat anything like other fish, insects or small birds.

In the wild arowanas travel, hunt and fight in groups. The male and female arowanas work in unity to defend there area and family group. To defend they nip, bite, body slap and charge at whatever puts them on high alert in there own territory.

In china the arowana is known as a symbol of wealth, luck, strength and power in the feng shui circles and is commonly referred to as the golden dragon fish. In this way the Asian arowana has become expensive and highly collectible.

Hopefully this will shed some light on the mystery and hype that surrounds this ancient bred of fish known as the arowana and hopefully will promote an interest in you to look into this great fish.