HOME | DD
namu-the-orca — Arapaima - the firefish
Published: 2014-04-04 18:24:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 5591; Favourites: 337; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
Once there was a young Amazonian warrior, Pirarucú, the son of a chief. He was a skilled warrior, but also arrogant and disrespectful towardsthe gods. So one day, when the warrior went out fishing by himself, the gods sent a huge electrical storm to scare the young man – but he
simply laughed it off and continued on his trip. Then the highest of the gods sent down a bolt of lightning which struck the warrior, causing him
to fall out of his boat, and the god pulled him down to the bottom of the river where he was turned into a giant fish: the Arapaima or firefish.
(The story is part of the mythology of the Uaiás tribe in the Amazon, that tells of how Arapaimas, or Pirarucú as they call them, came to be.)
Related content
Comments: 126
That's what I was going for, with the legend and all 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
oh my friend this ... captures an amazing beauty of a Arapaima that most would never get to see. This is amazing and crisp atmosphere just nails it perfectly
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you! I'm happy that you like this one, I was very fond of it too. Indeed, an arapaima underwater in the wild is a rare sight. Seeing them swim docile in clean aquariums is a different experience.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh I know what you mean , I have gotten to see one before our local aquarium shop had one and i was like holy crap. It got bought up quick by one of the guys around here that has a huge tank . I had no idea we had so many around here with massive tanks. I know one of my uncles has like a 100 gal tank and its amazing. My big tank is a 55 and planning to turn it into a shrimp tank. I wish they had like a teeny tiny orca id so keep it in my tank haha. I would settle for a black and white goldfish but finding the perfect one is the problemo
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Hahahaha, I can't say that's a bad thing : p JOIN THE ART SIDE
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Whoa, i never heard this story!
Amazing, so majestic with that fire eye!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's a really intriguing one! I love those old tribal legends. Very glad I heard about it during a documentary/tv series. And thank you! Arapaimas are pretty fiery fish in real life, but given the legend I really wanted some of that 'firefish' to show in the painting.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You know what?
I've seen one of these, they are amazing creatures!
You did a very unic work, you're very talented!
Keep the good work!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Very glad you think so, thank you
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Unfortunately, as it turned out there are actually 7-8 arapaima species, and only three or four of them are still extant.
Arapaima gigas is not one of them. In fact, only the Arapaima genus holotype is an A. gigas.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I didn't know they reclassified Arapaima to contain so many species. Wikipedia, for as far as that can be called reliable, does not definitely label A. gigas as being extinct. It might be, but it says there is not enough info on them?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Considering it's known only from the holotype collected centuries ago and every single arapaima image that exists is A. arapaima (another giant) or A. leptosoma, it's a fair bet it's extinct.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well, that doesn't necessarily need to be so. Arapaima have been extensively hunted in the accessible parts of the Amazon system, but so many rivers and areas are hardly touched. Plus, who knows what the locals see and catch and eat what scientists never get to lay their hands on. Just because scientists haven't come across it right now, doesn't necessarily mean it is truly extinct. Some animals are not seen for dozens or even hundreds of years, declared extinct, only to be resighted. Perhaps the coolest of these Lazarus species stories is that of the Bermuda petrel: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_… Not seen for 330 years!
👍: 1 ⏩: 1
The fact is, there are thousands of arapaima in captivity or in stocked ponds all over the world, and dozens caught by anglers in South America, and EVERY SINGLE ONE fits with either A. arapaima (95% of them) or rarely A. leptosoma, other than Jeremy Wade's catch in the upper Essequibo.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
But that's what I'm saying: the captive fish' ancestors were caught from an accessible area of river, and the sport anglers also go to a part of the river they can actually go to. So both the captive stock and the sport-caught fish come from the accessible rivers, after all, the inaccessible places are, well, inaccessible. So all I was saying was who knows whether A. gigas still lives on in those secluded areas.
👍: 1 ⏩: 0
Predatory bony fish can be just as spectacular as sharks or cetaceans.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Bluefin tuna, for one. Apex predators that are thought to be prey by the popular media.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
these fuckers were a bitch to find in animal crossing
also wow i cant believe i didnt comment on this considering how bootiful it is and that its one of my favourite fishies.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
dafuq is animal crossing? i have come across mentions of it on the internet way too often. SHOULD I KNOW IT?
anyway THANK YOU i still really like this piece so i am more than happy that you do alsooo. gosh arapaimas are so cool, definitely one of my fav fish species too (though by now i have many). arapaima high five YEAH
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
IT'S JUST A VIDEO GAME WHERE YOU LIVE IN A TOWN FULL OF ANIMAL PEOPLE. i used to play it aaaaaaaaallllllll the fucking time. you can catch all kinds of bugs and fish to put in your museum/sell for money to pay off that mortgage
arapaimas are one of the RAREST, MOST PRIZED AND MOST EXPENSIVE fish
fish in general man THEY GRATE
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
OKAY THANK FOR EXPLAINING
kinda backwards tho how you play as animal people, yet bugs and fish are apparently still unworthy enough to be captured and put into tanks and sold etc, rather than being animal people themselves. SPECIESISM.
but kay, that's cool, the arapaima deserves to be the rarest and most prized because they are the most AWESOME.
I LOVE FISH
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I KNOW ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ you actually play as some kind of weird cartoon human, and everyone else is animal people... which is also not fair.
what's extra weird is you can catch frogs, but tons of the villagers you can meet are also frogs...
SAME WITH OCTOPI...
but i guess fish and bugs are just fucked. GOTTA EAT SOMETHING I GUESS
in the original im p sure the arapaima is only second in preciousness to the fuckin' coelacanth.
FISH ARE PRETTY GREAT. if i had a spirit animal it would be a fish. fish are the best.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
oh god that's kinda weird. imagine trying to trade or sell a frog.. to a frog person. YOU INSULT HIS HERITAGE.
eating bugs is actually pretty neat, especially in today's society with too many people and shit. y'know, with them being super nutritious and actually enjoying being kept in cramped conditions (unlike the animals we most often eat now). bugs r cool.
OH AND THAT'S OKAY because coelocanths kick fucking ass as well. or slap ass? cause they have fins and all (so smart).
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
wow such an intimidating and awe inspiring creature especially in murky waters that reflect the dying light of day. wonderful drawing.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
They sure are a force to be reckoned with! But gorgeous and mysterious (and in dire need of protection) too. Glad to hear you like it
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Woah, my mind is blown ....simply fantastic, the light, the glowing eye...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks so much! Really happy you like it, it's a piece I'm very fond of myself as well
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You can be really proud of that piece, definitely
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
neat really like the composition, the mood and atmosphere
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you very much
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
you're so welcome
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Arapaima are my favorite fish, next favorite being the Arowana. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Arowana are definitely awesome too! Love their sort of prehistoric look - which they are, just like the Arapaima
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
These are one of my favorite fish! Captured it so perfectly! Love the lighting as well.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ohh great to know someone else is an Arapaima fan too! Thank you so much, glad you like it
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome!
Definitely! I was surprised to see one painted as they are a lesser known fish. So glad though because it looks stunning.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
| Next =>