Got ’em.
Arapaimas are one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, found in the Amazon basin of South America. These impressive fish can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 440 pounds.
They can reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, making them one of the fastest fish in the world. They use their large and powerful body to reach high speeds and catch their prey. Arapaima are capable of leaping out of the water and clearing obstacles like logs and rocks with ease, and can even break fishing lines and snap fishing rods with their powerful thrashing.
They are considered prime source of food in the Amazon region and are relatively easy to catch since they need to surface for air. However, this can lead to overfishing.
After sharp declines in population, conservations were implemented heavily in the ’90s to help save the species and the population has since grown from 2,500 in 1999 to over 170,000 in 2017.
This man, who seems to be some kind of wildlife YouTuber, was checking out some arapaimas that were in captivity.
He thought it would be a good idea to feed one, better yet, feed it from his mouth.
The man reaches out over the water, holding a piece of meat with his mouth over the tank holding these massive fish. As he leans down close to the water, a fish jumps up and snatches the food from the man in a flash.
The fish hits him so hard he just straight up gets “knocked out” and falls into the tank. His friends all just seem to stand there (staged), and the man eventually hops up and says “just kidding,” but nevertheless, it looks like it popped him pretty good.
Is the whole video pretty corny and staged? Yeah, looks like it. Did the man actually get knocked out? Doubt it. But can these powerful fish absolutely crack you across the face? You bet.
That fish has some pop… I don’t wanna catch a fade from one of those.
