Pirarucu Fish Scales, they're back!

Hi guys! It has been a while, but here we are with good news, of course! We are happy to say that we just got a nice batch of Pirarucu or Arapaima Fish Scales and they are one of the most beautiful ones we have had in a while. Take a peak on how big these are. Wow!

If you don't know much about these mighty scales, here's a bit about them.

Growing up in the Amazon these scales were just another thing to play with. They're recycled from the fish we eat on a daily basis, it's quite the common dish on Sundays. Pirarucu is the common name for one of the biggest fishes we have in the Amazon rainforest, most of the world knows it by Arapaima.

The Arapaima Fish Scales are commonly used by the natives in their adornments, home decor, jewelry, and all sorts of crafts and some even use it as a nail file. These fish scales are highly mineralized, very hard outer layer with a corrugated surface under which lie several layers of collagen fibers. In a structure similar to 'plywood', the fibers in each successive layer are oriented at right angles to that in the previous layer for maximum toughness. The hard corrugated surface of the outer layer, the soft but tough internal orthogonal collagen layers, and the hydration of the scales all contribute to their ability to flex and deform while remaining strong—a solution that allows the fish to remain mobile while heavily armored.

These are 100% natural Pirarucu Arapaima fish scales RECYCLED from the food industry and we obtain our fish scales from a managed area in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. No animals are harmed solely for their scales, no way!

All scales are previously washed and dried and don't have a fishy smell. Of course, I have been around them for just about all my life, so it is possible that some people find a slight fishy smell on them. Once the Pirarucu Arapaima fish scales are washed and dried, they'll curve slightly as shown in the pictures. If you need to FLAT THEM out, soak them in water and add a lightweight over a towel and they will turn flat for your needs. You can also use Pirarucu fish scales to polish your fingernails, that's how the ladies in the jungle have done for centuries.

❁ MORE ABOUT PIRARUCU FISH:

Pirarucu or Paiche are the popular names for "Arapaima gigas", they are the largest freshwater fish of South America, and among the largest freshwater fish in the world. Arapaima can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6 ft 7 in), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and over 100 kg (220 lb). As one of the most sought-after food fish species in South America, it is often captured primarily by handheld nets for export, spearfishing for local consumption, and consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m (6 ft 7 in) are seldom found in the wild today. The fish is now farmed in a very sustainable way, in the wild by specific communities throughout the Amazon. Our scales come from these areas.

The Arapaima is torpedo-shaped with large blackish-green scales and red markings. It is streamlined and sleek, with its dorsal and anal fin set back near its tail. Its local name, Paiche, derives from the indigenous words for "red" and "fish". Pirarucu / Arapaima is often shown on the TV as a monster river in the "River Monsters" show. We find them to be easy-going fish but will definitely hurt you with their massive bonehead when trying to catch them.

The arapaima has a fundamental dependence on surface air to breathe. In addition to gills, it has a modified and enlarged swim bladder, composed of lung-like tissue, which enables it to extract oxygen from the air. This is an adaptation to the often-hypoxic conditions of the Amazon floodplains but requires the arapaima to surface for air every 5 to 15 min. This tendency to stay at the surface makes it more vulnerable to attacks from spearfishermen.