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Which arowanas carry eggs and young in a parent’s mouth?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
A large pirarucu fish (Arapaima gigas) with dark scales and reddish tail swims in an aquarium, with tree-like structures and aquatic plants in the background.
osteoglossomorph

Within the family Osteoglossidae, several species are known to practice mouthbrooding, a behavior where a parent carries eggs and young in its mouth. These include:

  • The South American arawana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum)12
  • The spotted bonytongue (Scleropages leichardti)1
  • The arowana (Scleropages formosus)1

While the African arowana (Heterotis niloticus) is also a member of this family, it does not exhibit this behavior; instead, it constructs a nest from grasses and guards its young in the water.1