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TRAIRA

THE WOLF FISH OF THE AMAZON

 

Some wolf fish are known to be shy, while others are aggressive. Knowledgeable fishermen know they have to be extremely careful when they're out canoeing, because they don't know what type of behavior wolf fish will exhibit. Sometimes, these river monsters will jump onto shore or into a canoe to attack their prey. Depending upon their size, female wolf fish can carry anywhere from 6,000 to 60,000 eggs during the species' breeding season, which coincides with the rainy season from December to March.

Classification / Names 
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Characiformes (Characins) > Erythrinidae (Trahiras)

 

Size / Weight / Age
Max length : 100.0 cm SL male/unsexed; max. published weight: 40.0 kg

 

Environment
Freshwater; benthopelagic; potamodromous

 

Climate / Range
Tropical 

 

Distribution
South America: Tributaries of middle and lower Amazon basin, including the rivers Trombretas, Jari, Tapajós, Xingu, Tocantins, and in the coastal rivers of Guyana, Suriname, Fr Guiana; rivers Araguari and Amapá, state of Amapá, Brazil; lower reaches of Orinoco River, Venezuela.

River Monsters

in the Rio Negro River

Ferocious Fish

 

Traira (Wolf-Fish) are ferocious predators with large mouths and very sharp canine-like teeth. They are in the shallow banks waiting to ambush anything that passes by them. This fish has lots of bacteria in its mouth and you don't want to get bitten by one of these. 

 

The wolf fish has the ability to live pretty much everywhere in the tropical climate in Suriname, the smallest independent country in South America, whether the waters are shallow or deep: small streams, river springs, sparse water puddles, lakes, rivers — all provide suitable abodes. This creature can reach 39 inches (100 centimeters) in length and get as large as 88 pounds (40 kilograms), and it comes out at dusk and during the night to feed on other fish and small invertebrates.

There have been reported cases of wolf fish attacks on humans and other animals. One of the most well-known reports is the story of a diver who, while inspecting the dam at Suriname's Afobaka power plant, became the victim of a brutal wolf fish attack. Other attack stories include one about a dog that was killed by two large wolf fish after he fell in a stream while trying to walk across it on a log, and another about a fisherman who was bitten on his foot while wading in water.

BEST TIME TO FISH:

OCTOBER THROUGH MARCH

 

Capt Marc will take his groups during the prime fishing season and not just to fill a week, we have prime weeks reserved for the most possible productive trips to the Amazon, contact us for full details and dates. Trips fill up fast and early.

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