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Description
Black Amazonian Characipike (Piranu serrasalmiformis)
Order: Characiformes
Family: Lebiasinidae
Habitat: South American Rivers and Lakes.

Because of the anthropogenic pressure spree of the Holocene era and the climatic changes of the early Neocene, many animals of the Earth have died out, especially large and predatory species that were sensitive to changes in habitat. Among them were crocodiles and caimans, once one of the largest thriving reptiles on Earth. In the Neocene, their descendants are very small, and the freed ecological niche was occupied by species of other systematic groups. In the Old World, these are other reptiles - lizards, snakes, and even turtles, and South America - different fish, mostly various Characiformes. One of the largest species is Tyrannoharax deinodontus, a member of the Erythrinidae family. However, other fish have also evolved rapidly, occupying affordable ecological niches.

The black Amazonian Characipike is not a real pike, but a descendant of one of the small species of insect-eating fish of the Lebiasinidae family, which had successfully mastered the predatory way of life. It looks like a cross between pikes and African tiger fish (Hydrocines) of the Holocene era. It has a long, somewhat compressed body from the sides, and a wide tail fin, allowing this fish to make quick, sudden throws. Other fins are also well developed, allowing the black Amazonian Characipike to maneuver among the freshwater bodies overgrown with underwater vegetation. The dorsal and anal fins are moved to the back of the body. There is no fat fin.

The Black Amazonian Characipike is a large fish: it reaches 2.5 m in length, and weighs up to 185 kg. It has a big head with well-developed eyes and nostrils, but most of it is made up of jaws. The Black Amazonian Characipike hunts as a crocodile did: it makes a strike from an ambush, grabs prey with teeth and either drowns it if it catches a waterfowl or beast, or simply swallows it whole, if the prey is another fish or a large aquatic invertebrate. Its’ teeth are of the stabbing type, so the black Amazonian Characipike cannot tear the prey to pieces, but can break its’ bones or break the shell with a strong bite. Despite the power and strength, the Black Amazonian Characipike has enemies, the most important among them – the tyrannoharax, which is even larger and stronger than this fish is, and can kill and swallow entirely even an adult Black Amazonian Characipike.

This fish got its name for its characteristic color - monochrome black or dark gray color, only the ends of fins are contrastingly colored, bright red, especially in the mating season. The brighter the red color on the fins is, the healthier the fish. Thanks to this feature, these fish are able to establish a hierarchy without resorting to fights in which serious damage can occur.

The mating period of the Black Amazonian Characipike falls in May-June, when the period of flooding begins in South America. At this time, males and females of this species find each other, they begin to ripen caviar and milk, and with the help of jaws and gill caps, they emit piercing loud clicks under the water. Females of this species are slightly larger than males, but the latter at this time are more active and aggressive. They find females and swim around them, driving away rivals and waiting until the female shifts her anger to mercy - the Black Amazonian Characipike is a solitary species and for the first time the female can be aggressive even to the male in the mating season, so it behaves gently, giving the female the opportunity to get used to its presence.

Spawning is preceded by mating dances, during which the male snuggles to the female's body on the side, accompanying it with a series of clicks and trembling all over the body for a few seconds.
The eggs are deposited in portions 4-6 times a year, depending on the fatness of the female. One female of this species lays out at a time from 5 to 10 thousand of relatively large eggs. During spawning, a pair of fish plough a furrow in the soft bottom of a lake or a river, lay eggs in it, and immediately bury them with the side movements of their tails. The male patrols the site for about a day, after which it floats away. The fry hatch a few days later. For the first time they prey on the benthic animals. When the water begins to subside, and the underwater inhabitants often find themselves in natural traps, they become easy prey for the already grown spawn of the Black Amazonian Characipike. The fry, in turn, also become the prey of larger fish, but the Black Amazonian Characipike at this time manages to avoid the main enemy of this species, the Tyrannoharax. The fry grow rapidly and double its length every 6 months until it reaches at least two-thirds of the adult size. However, many of them die in the first year and a half of their lives - large water turtles and predatory animals eat young of the Black Amazonian Characipike.

Sexual maturity occurs when fish of this species reach 1.4-1.5 m in length at the appropriate weight. The Black Amazonian Characipike may live up to 40 years or a little more, but many fish of this species have died before.

Description
Black Amazonian Characipike (Piranu serrasalmiformis)
Order: Characiformes
Family: Lebiasinidae
Habitat: South American Rivers and Lakes.

Because of the anthropogenic pressure spree of the Holocene era and the climatic changes of the early Neocene, many animals of the Earth have died out, especially large and predatory species that were sensitive to changes in habitat. Among them were crocodiles and caimans, once one of the largest thriving reptiles on Earth. In the Neocene, their descendants are very small, and the freed ecological niche was occupied by species of other systematic groups. In the Old World, these are other reptiles - lizards, snakes, and even turtles, and South America - different fish, mostly various Characiformes. One of the largest species is Tyrannoharax deinodontus, a member of the Erythrinidae family. However, other fish have also evolved rapidly, occupying affordable ecological niches.

The black Amazonian Characipike is not a real pike, but a descendant of one of the small species of insect-eating fish of the Lebiasinidae family, which had successfully mastered the predatory way of life. It looks like a cross between pikes and African tiger fish (Hydrocines) of the Holocene era. It has a long, somewhat compressed body from the sides, and a wide tail fin, allowing this fish to make quick, sudden throws. Other fins are also well developed, allowing the black Amazonian Characipike to maneuver among the freshwater bodies overgrown with underwater vegetation. The dorsal and anal fins are moved to the back of the body. There is no fat fin.

The Black Amazonian Characipike is a large fish: it reaches 2.5 m in length, and weighs up to 185 kg. It has a big head with well-developed eyes and nostrils, but most of it is made up of jaws. The Black Amazonian Characipike hunts as a crocodile did: it makes a strike from an ambush, grabs prey with teeth and either drowns it if it catches a waterfowl or beast, or simply swallows it whole, if the prey is another fish or a large aquatic invertebrate. Its’ teeth are of the stabbing type, so the black Amazonian Characipike cannot tear the prey to pieces, but can break its’ bones or break the shell with a strong bite. Despite the power and strength, the Black Amazonian Characipike has enemies, the most important among them – the tyrannoharax, which is even larger and stronger than this fish is, and can kill and swallow entirely even an adult Black Amazonian Characipike.

This fish got its name for its characteristic color - monochrome black or dark gray color, only the ends of fins are contrastingly colored, bright red, especially in the mating season. The brighter the red color on the fins is, the healthier the fish. Thanks to this feature, these fish are able to establish a hierarchy without resorting to fights in which serious damage can occur.

The mating period of the Black Amazonian Characipike falls in May-June, when the period of flooding begins in South America. At this time, males and females of this species find each other, they begin to ripen caviar and milk, and with the help of jaws and gill caps, they emit piercing loud clicks under the water. Females of this species are slightly larger than males, but the latter at this time are more active and aggressive. They find females and swim around them, driving away rivals and waiting until the female shifts her anger to mercy - the Black Amazonian Characipike is a solitary species and for the first time the female can be aggressive even to the male in the mating season, so it behaves gently, giving the female the opportunity to get used to its presence.

Spawning is preceded by mating dances, during which the male snuggles to the female's body on the side, accompanying it with a series of clicks and trembling all over the body for a few seconds.
The eggs are deposited in portions 4-6 times a year, depending on the fatness of the female. One female of this species lays out at a time from 5 to 10 thousand of relatively large eggs. During spawning, a pair of fish plough a furrow in the soft bottom of a lake or a river, lay eggs in it, and immediately bury them with the side movements of their tails. The male patrols the site for about a day, after which it floats away. The fry hatch a few days later. For the first time they prey on the benthic animals. When the water begins to subside, and the underwater inhabitants often find themselves in natural traps, they become easy prey for the already grown spawn of the Black Amazonian Characipike. The fry, in turn, also become the prey of larger fish, but the Black Amazonian Characipike at this time manages to avoid the main enemy of this species, the Tyrannoharax. The fry grow rapidly and double its length every 6 months until it reaches at least two-thirds of the adult size. However, many of them die in the first year and a half of their lives - large water turtles and predatory animals eat young of the Black Amazonian Characipike.

Sexual maturity occurs when fish of this species reach 1.4-1.5 m in length at the appropriate weight. The Black Amazonian Characipike may live up to 40 years or a little more, but many fish of this species have died before.