Scientific Name:       
Colossoma macropomum
Class:                        
Osteichthyes
Order:                        
Characiformes
Family:                       
Serrasaomidae
Feeding Type:          
Omnivorous
Range:                       
South America, Amazon Basin
Habitat:                      
Slower waters of the rain forests
Diet in the Wild:        
Ripe fruits and nuts that drop into the water
Diet at the Zoo:
Fruits (grapes, bananas,) vegetables (broccoli, green peppers, carrots, yam,) fish (capelin, herring, silversides)
Description:
Pacus can be up to 36 inches in diameter and weigh up to 22 pounds. They have large rounded bodies and look like piranhas when young. They are silvery gray in color with large round eyes
Adaptation/Behavior:
Because of their diet of fruits and nuts, pacus have blunt teeth that are useful in crushing and grinding. They are relatively gentle.
Conservation:                       
Pacus are commercially important fish. They are also a source of food for native people who harpoon those that swim near the shore.