Leaping above the rest

The Asian arowana is a freshwater carnivorous fish native to Southeast Asia, and these apex fish predators are known for their spectacular jumping ability.

This carnivorous hunter of lowland swamps and rivers dines mostly on smaller fish and invertebrates but occasionally amphibians and even small birds and reptiles.

Asian arowana courtship behaviours involve the male and female circling one another and engaging in gentle body-rubbing. Once the female deposits her eggs on the habitat floor, the male fertilises them before scooping them up in his mouth and keeps them safe there through incubation, hatching and even for 1-2 months afterwards while they are tiny vulnerable fry – and never eats a single one!

At the Zoo

Meet our Asian arowana:

The Zoo’s Indonesian swamp forest habitat within the South East Asia Jungle Track is home to several adult Asian arowana, born in 2019. Visitors can see these majestic adults, but the offspring born at Auckland Zoo in December 2023 live in a separate fish rearing area in the aquarium support facility.

In the wild, this carnivorous hunter of lowland swamps and rivers dines mostly on smaller fish and invertebrates, but occasionally amphibians and even small birds and reptiles. In the zoo environment, this species eats live invertebrates such as crickets and locusts and is given shrimp and nutritionally complete supplementary pellets.

In the Wild 

Origin: Southeast Asia, including countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Habitat: It inhabits slow-moving waters, blackwater rivers, forested swamps, and wetlands habitats.

Conservation status: Endangered and decreasing in population. The key threats to the arowana are loss and damage of its native freshwater ecosystems and the illegal pet trade. All of the Zoo’s fish species are sourced from certified suppliers.

How you can help 

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