Three species of tall, flat, freshwater cichlids from the Amazon, the Orinoco and rivers of the Guiana Shield in South America. Their disc-shaped, striped bodies hide them among roots and plants, where they ambush small prey. Not to be confused with the marine angelfish of coral reefs.
Quick answers
What is it?Fish
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Commonly
One of the most commonly kept freshwater aquarium fish.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inSouth America, Rivers
HabitatRivers & lakes
ColoursSilver, Black, Orange
SizeSmall
LegsNone
Covered inScales
Lives inpairs
Lives for8–12 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Tropical South America: the Amazon and Orinoco basins and rivers of the Guiana Shield.
- What it eats
- Small fish and macroinvertebrates, caught by ambush.
Did you know
Pairs bond for life and take turns guarding the eggs.
A female lays 100 to more than 1,200 eggs in a line on a leaf, log or other flat surface.
Aquarium angelfish have been selectively bred for more than 60 years, into many colour forms.
Often confused with
On these lists
Sources
Last reviewed
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
