| Dorado | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Genus: | Salminus |
| Species: | S. brasiliensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Salminus brasiliensis (G. Cuvier, 1816) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Salminus cuvieri Valenciennes, 1850 |
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The Golden Dorado (Salminus brasiliensis) is a large river fish that lives in central and east-central South America. Despite having Salminus in its name, the dorado is not related to any species of salmon, nor to the saltwater fish also called dorado. It is very popular among recreational anglers and also supports large commercial fisheries.
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The Golden Dorado have large heads, with powerful jaws that are filled with sharp teeth. They reach maturity around 37 centimetres (15 in) long, and are golden colored. The average size of the golden dorado is about 3–10 kilograms (6.6–22 lb). The largest recorded size is 100 centimetres (39 in) length and 31.4 kilograms (69 lb).[1]
Golden Dorado live in warm freshwater habitats in southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and northern Argentina, where found in the river basins of the Paraguay, Uruguay, Chapare and Mamoré, and the drainage of the Lagoa dos Patos.[1] The dorado is considered an endangered species in Paraguay and therefore a 5-year fishing ban is currently on effect there.[2] Other South American river basins hold relatives of this species: S. franciscanus in the São Francisco Basin, S. hilarii in the upper Paraná, Amazon and Orinoco basins, and S. affinis in the Santiago and Magdalena basins in Ecuador and Colombia.
"Dorado", both in the name of the fish and other uses such as the El Dorado legend, originates from the Latin word for gold, auratus (later modified into dauratus in Vulgar Latin, and subsequently oro in Spanish and ouro in Portuguese).
Golden Dorados are piscivores, eating a wide variety of prey fish. One of the dorado's favorite prey are sabalo, a type of schooling fish typically 1–4 kg (2–9 lb) in weight.
The Golden Dorado is highly sought-after by anglers, both for its delicious taste and fighting ability. The aggressive nature of the dorado, its high jumps, and great fighting strength and stamina have created a great competitive market among anglers from all corners of the world, traversing South American waters in hopes of hooking a dorado.
Dorados are excellent to eat and are often barbecued with tomatoes and bell peppers. Often utilized in the making of fish soups they are also popularly fried in South America. The Dorado has a white flaky flesh with a notably high fat content.
Dorado mainly travel in small groups.
The dorado is featured in the GCN game Animal Crossing as well as its two sequels, the NDS game Animal Crossing: Wild World and the Wii game Animal Crossing: City Folk as an extremely rare fish.