All fish / Lepidosirenidae

South American lungfish

Lepidosiren paradoxa

Also known as south american lungfish, amazon lungfish, peruvian lungfish, south american mudfish, lepidosiren, lungfish, piramboia, ปลาปอดอเมริกาใต้, レピドシレン, レピドシレン・パラドクサ, 南米肺魚, 南美肺鱼

This is an eel-like fish with a thick, dark grey to brown body and thin, thread-like paired fins, while juveniles are black with yellow spots and bear external gills. It is the only lungfish in South America and must gulp air at the surface to survive. Keepers value it as a living fossil with a calm, slow manner that often learns to recognise its owner.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

80 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 8

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: earthworms, mussels, prawns, white fish fillet and sinking carnivore pellets, with some vegetable matter accepted

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 30 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon, Paraguay and lower Paraná basins (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, French Guiana)

Breeding

In the wild the male digs a burrow nest in swampy ground and guards the eggs and young, and during the breeding season his pelvic fins grow feathery filaments that are thought to release oxygen. Captive breeding in home aquariums is almost unknown and only rarely happens in large public facilities.

Good to know

It can exceed a metre in length, and even aquarium specimens get too big for most home tanks. It bites hard and will eat any fish small enough to fit in its mouth, so it needs a tight lid and free access to the surface for air.