It is known in Venezuelan Spanish as cajaro; in Guyana, it is known as a banana catfish, and in Brazil it is known as pirarara,[3] a fusion of words from the indigenous Tupi language: pirá and arara.

The redtail catfish is quite common in the aquarium trade, although it is often sold in its juvenile state, only measuring a few centimeters or inches at the time of sale.

Thus, many redtail catfish are sold and subsequently purchased as very small specimens, soon outgrowing their new aquariums—something which makes them highly unsuitable for all but the largest, usually public, aquariums (or outdoor stock tanks, pools, ponds, lakes, etc).

Nevertheless, at any age or size, the redtail catfish is always at-risk of being consumed by humans, jaguars, giant otters, Orinoco and American crocodiles, and caimans, among other species.

Unlike other, bottom-dwelling catfish species, the redtail is an active swimmer, and does not lie in-wait on the river bottom to ambush passing prey.

Meals range from other types of fishes, crustaceans, aquatic worms, and even amphibians, such as frogs, to fallen fruits, seeds and tree nuts, such as those of palms or Ficus.

They have a broad head with long whiskers, dark black body and white underneath that extends from the mouth to the caudal fin.

[6]The redtail catfish is native to the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo river basins of South America, in Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Peru, Suriname, Bolivia, and Brazil.

[citation needed] Due to the potentially large size of this species, redtail catfish are considered a game fish by anglers.

[12] In some regions, it is feared as a potential danger to human life; it is believed, by some, to be the cause of the many mysterious drownings of passengers aboard the ship Sobral Santos II when it sank.