The Giant Fish That Makes Milk

Credits:
Narrator: Stephanie Sammann
Writer: Lorraine Boissoneault

Imagery courtesy of Getty Images

Music:
eternity by ian-post
ganymede by yehezkel-raz
surreal-journey by aquartos
through-the-sunset by seth-parson
a-journeys-epilogue---instrumental-version by sivan-talmor
revelation---no-atmosphere-fx- by tristan-barton

References:

[Think_Inc]

This fish: Stand aside Anacondas and Piranhas, there's a new sheriff in town.

Humans: Ah yes, dinner’s ready.

[RealEngineering]

All the best milks come from skull orifices.

[YassinElMohtadi]

So you're telling me this fish drowns .

[Pfhdk]

An interesting (and sad) fact: the range of the species used to be much bigger. Today, it's possible to find small populations in the Tocantins-Araguaia basin, hundreds of kilometers away from the Amazon basin. A few decades ago, it was quite common to spot them even in some smaller Araguaia river tributaries. My grandfather, who spent most of his youth as a poor farmer in the state of Goiás, tells stories about how they used to catch the Pirarucu (this is how we call the Arapaima in most regions of Brazil) only to use its fat as traditional medicine.

[AshenRJ]

Real Science: *mentions arapaima*

Jeremy Wade: *PTSD intensifies*

[WaryDruid]

Wow. I'm brazilian and I've never listened something about this of this fish. Here, this fish is very famous for its size, but sadly no one knows more about it

[penguinpingu]

Fish that make milk is a sentence that not many have never heard before.

[P-Nokota]

Loved the fact of how the researchers managed to make a solution that benefits natives, tourists, and the large fish and there offspring.. without a negative drawback for all parties involved.

[ytkhunter]

Loved the episode. Also ty for putting more emphasive how humans are able to help the fish, not just how they are doing bad for the fish. They often do that in documenteries and gives a depressing after taste. Your way of talking about the subject makes you more hopefull and gives insight on how you can help the fish and river

[callumprice]

Meant to be going to bed and I’m learning about fish milk

[LEDewey_MD]

What an amazing and unusual species, and an extremely well done video!

[saims.]

Wait, is nobody going to talk about how fishes can breath air in, and fart it out.

[PaddyMcMe]

Once whilst dating a Chinese girl her family came to visit here in Australia, we all went to the Aquarium together, as we walked around the aquarium looking at all the beautiful and rare fish, her father, a successful importer/exporter from Singapore, kept excitedly going 'I've eaten that one, and that one, oh and that one there too!'

[gwyn.]

*"I can milk you." - Markimoo*

[kayland.]

Everytime I learn about an amazing animal, I also learn that they're endangered

[stuartbarker]

Fish in the genus Symphysodon, commonly known as discus fish and also originating from the Amazon region, exhibit very similar brood care with releasing a milk-like liquid for their fry. Unlike in the case of Arapaima, the 'milk' of Symphysodon does seem to provide the young with nutrition.

[vilena]

It's really upsetting that we could be the end of an awesome fish like that.
23 million years...

[l.artista]

*The closet you look the weirder they get*
_I just found out my spirit animal_

[MindLaboratory]

Arapaima Milk - coming to a "health" food store near you

[Link-ypki]

"Most fish simply lay their eggs and then bounce."
This is Sparta?