I’m a picky fish when it comes to choosing a place to live: I only inhabit the cleanest freshwater rivers and streams in Southeast Asia. If I’m in the water, then you know that the river is not polluted and the surrounding forest is healthy. When trees are cut down, it has a big impact on the water I live in. Without tree roots to hold soil in place, it will wash into nearby streams when it rains, in a process called erosion. I cannot survive in streams that are full of soil and silt from erosion from nearby forests. As a young fish, I used to swim in the fast-flowing rapids of rivers, in the very center of the flow. Now that I am an adult, I spend more time in deep pools on the sides of the rivers.

My favorite foods include insects, crustaceans, small fish, and fruits that fall into the water. Some of the fruits I eat are toxic to humans and can make you feel giddy after you eat me. You may want to avoid eating me for dinner. I’m a large fish, growing up to 1 metre in length. You can come try to spot me at the Kelah Sanctuary and in Taman Negara National Park.