Red-bellied Pacu
Scientific Name: Piaractus brachypomus | Category: freshwater
This is not your average, drab-looking river fish. The Red-bellied Pacu is a robust, deep-bodied, almost disc-shaped powerhouse, akin to its famous piranha relatives but built on a far more substantial frame. Adults display a striking two-tone scheme: a dominant gunmetal grey to olive silver on the back and flanks, dramatically contrasted against a namesake vibrant red or orange-red belly and pectoral fin base. The deeply forked tail is dark, and the anal fin is often edged in black. While commonly encountered in the 10-25 lb range, these fruit and nut crushers can grow into true river monsters, with specimens exceeding 40 pounds, their thick, powerful bodies more reminiscent of a scaled-down tarpon than a typical characin.
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"commonName": "Red-bellied Pacu",
"scientificName": "Piaractus brachypomus",
"slug": "red-bellied-pacu",
"category": "freshwater",
"aliases": [
"Pirapitinga",
"Pacu",
"Black Pacu",
"Cachama",
"Freshwater Permit",
"Tambaquí",
"Fruit-eating Piranha",
"Red Pacu",
"Bukan"
],
"description": "This is not your average, drab-looking river fish. The Red-bellied Pacu is a robust, deep-bodied, almost disc-shaped powerhouse, akin to its famous piranha relatives but built on a far more substantial frame. Adults display a striking two-tone scheme: a dominant gunmetal grey to olive silver on the back and flanks, dramatically contrasted against a namesake vibrant red or orange-red belly and pectoral fin base. The deeply forked tail is dark, and the anal fin is often edged in black. While commonly encountered in the 10-25 lb range, these fruit and nut crushers can grow into true river monsters, with specimens exceeding 40 pounds, their thick, powerful bodies more reminiscent of a scaled-down tarpon than a typical characin.",
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"name": "Adult",
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"description": "This is the classic, powerful, and colorful Pacu encountered by anglers. In this phase, the fish is a voracious consumer of fruits, nuts, and seeds, using its crushing molar-like teeth to process hard-shelled foods. It's a schooling fish in larger river systems and floodplain lakes, often found in the company of its own kind.",
"appearance": "Deep-bodied, almost disc-shaped fish with a robust, powerful build reminiscent of a scaled tarpon. The back and upper flanks are a dominant gunmetal grey to olive silver. This sharply contrasts with a vibrant, namesake red or orange-red belly that extends to the pectoral fin bases. The deeply forked tail fin is dark grey or black. The anal fin is sizable and often edged in black. Eyes are relatively small. The most distinctive feature is the set of strong, blunt, molar-like teeth used for crushing. Size typically ranges from 10 to 25 pounds, with true trophies exceeding 40 pounds.",
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"habitat": "Large, slow-moving rivers, floodplain lakes, and reservoirs throughout the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Often holds in shaded areas near overhanging fruit trees, submerged logs, and in deeper channels.",
"anglersNote": "This is the primary target for anglers, known for its powerful, dogged fight. Best targeted with fruit, nuts, or surface lures imitating these food sources during the wet season when trees are fruiting.",
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"contentUpdatedAt": "2026-05-09T22:32:49.909Z"
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