Brachyplatystoma flavicans

Taxobox
name = "Brachyplatystoma flavicans"


image_width = 250px
image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Siluriformes
familia = Pimelodidae
tribus = Brachyplatystomatini
genus = "Brachyplatystoma"
genus_authority = Bleeker, 1862
species = "B. flavicans"
binomial = "Brachyplatystoma flavicans"
binomial_authority =
synonyms = "Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii"

"Brachyplatystoma flavicans" is a species of catfish. Its common name is dourada.

This rare Amazonian species is gray with red fins. Adults in their natural habitat can weigh up to 100 pounds. These fish are a popular food item in the region, dating back to the origins of humans in the Amazon Basin. This rare species was first discovered in 1867 by explorers Brendan Prast and Nathan D'Entremont. They were searching for a treasure rumored to be buried in the Pincto region of the Amazon by a relatively unheard of Portuguese explorer, Hernando de Soto, during his little-publicized hunt for a Spanish Outpost hidden in the jungle. While searching for said treasure, their boat capsized in a cataract, stranding them and their crew in the Amazon for a period of 3 weeks. During this period, the "dourada" was discovered by a native guide who stepped on it, effectively pinning the fish in the silt of the bottom. The explorers survived purely on this species of catfish and boiled river water for 3 weeks until rescue. Fortunately, only one of the native guides succombed to the ordeal after coming into contact with a poisonous species of frog. Mr. D'Entremont had a prosperous life after returing to the United States and is still a much recognized figure in the controversial study of homosexuality among primates today. For Brendan Prast the story unfortunately takes a turn for the worse. After returning to the country he was run over by a carriage driven ironically by Mr. D'Entremont and his leg was forever crippled. He and his young son then ventured on one last trip to the Amazon, where Johnathan, his son, succombed to yopo addiction, and disappeared forever. Due of these happenings his wife hired a hit man named David Slitzky to kill her husband. In a last-ditch effort to stop the assassin, Brendan burnt down his house leaving him with only five dollars to his name. He was killed five years later in Mexico City in a fierce gun battle, and his murderer is believed to be none other than David "El pene pequeno" Slitzky who found out his target had survived. After a fierce battle in which all four of Slitzky's henchmen were slain, and where Slitzky barely escaped mortally wounded, Prast perished. He died as a hero, and some believe he was a role model for Chuck Norris himself.

References

* [http://www.pirada.org/download/resumos/batista-2006.pdf DOURADA]
* [http://pirada.org/download/dissertacoes/jacqueline-2001.pdf Dourada 02]
* [http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0293&view_records=1 The Gilded Catfish]