# 2000+ year old gouramis



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Giant gourami near middle bottom 
From an egyptian relief. I think the circled fish may be a puffer of some sort?


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

which is the gourami? I see a cichlid though.


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## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

I have some images of Egyptian relief sculpture containing elephant fish.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

I've seen images of ancient Egyptian art showing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). They are often portrayed with fry streaming from their mouths. IIRC, this has some religious or philosophical significance, as well as being just what a mouthbrooding tilapia will do if netted.

Gouramis are native to SE Asia and India/Sri Lanka, but you knew that or you wouldn't have put the smiley on your comment.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

bae said:


> I've seen images of ancient Egyptian art showing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). They are often portrayed with fry streaming from their mouths. IIRC, this has some religious or philosophical significance, as well as being just what a mouthbrooding tilapia will do if netted.
> 
> Gouramis are native to SE Asia and India/Sri Lanka, but you knew that or you wouldn't have put the smiley on your comment.


Exactly.
Isn't it interesting? I mean, the fish in the middle at the bottom is a giant gourami. I don't see what else it could be. All those other fish look like they're from the Nile but that Gourami doesn't really fit. Makes you wonder how they knew what one looked like and why they'd put it there. I don't know of the Egyptians having traded with anywhere that far away.


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## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

I doubt that image is of a giant gourami. The image quality is too low to tell what the relief is supposed to represent.


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## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

Now that I've looked at the image more carefully I'm pretty sure that the fish you pointed out is a Fahaka (Nile) puffer.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Darkside said:


> I doubt that image is of a giant gourami. The image quality is too low to tell what the relief is supposed to represent.


Immaaaaaginaaaaaatiion.


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## whenfishfly? (Feb 13, 2009)

The one in the middle looks kind of like some sort of catfish to me.. the left one looks ciclidish, and the circled one looks like a puffer..


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## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

whenfishfly? said:


> The one in the middle looks kind of like some sort of catfish to me.. the left one looks ciclidish, and the circled one looks like a puffer..


They're all species native to the Nile. There's the puffer on the right, below it is a synodontis catfish. To the left of the puffer is a clarias catfish and the fish below that looks like it could be an African arowana. To the left of those fish is the Tilapia species. On the other side of them is maybe a tiger fish and I can't really tell what's below the African tiger fish.


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## whenfishfly? (Feb 13, 2009)

Darkside said:


> They're all species native to the Nile. There's the puffer on the right, below it is a synodontis catfish. To the left of the puffer is a clarias catfish and the fish below that looks like it could be an African arowana. To the left of those fish is the Tilapia species. On the other side of them is maybe a tiger fish and I can't really tell what's below the African tiger fish.


I didn't even pay attention below those and after taking a second look, I'd have to agree with you.


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

There are other species of fish that have the ability to breath atmospheric air other than gouramis and labyrinth fish from Southeast Asia. In fact, evolutionary convergence is quite common. For example, the Arapaima from the Amazon river/ region exclusively breathes atmospheric air. In afrrica, theres also perches and other types of labyrinth fishes that have the ability to breath air too... just because it looks like one, don't assume its one.


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## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

Cypher said:


> There are other species of fish that have the ability to breath atmospheric air other than gouramis and labyrinth fish from Southeast Asia. In fact, evolutionary convergence is quite common. For example, the Arapaima from the Amazon river/ region exclusively breathes atmospheric air. In afrrica, theres also perches and other types of labyrinth fishes that have the ability to breath air too... just because it looks like one, don't assume its one.


If it looks like one, it should be one. This really didn't have anything to do with fish that are capable of breathing atmospheric oxygen. The question was, which fish the Egyptian relief is a representation of.


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