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Breeding

Are There Fish in Lake Titicaca? Native Species and Other Wildlife

Lake Titicaca supports native fish such as ispi, carachi, picachu, and mauri, along with introduced trout and pejerrey and other aquatic wildlife.

By Animalso Team 2 min read
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Yes—Lake Titicaca has fish, including native ispi, carachi, picachu, and mauri, as well as introduced rainbow trout and pejerrey. The lake is also home to aquatic wildlife such as the giant Titicaca frog and waterbirds. The species named in recent surveys are examples from sampled areas, not a complete census of the whole lake.

Which fish live in Lake Titicaca?

Peru’s marine research institute, IMARPE, has identified several fish in assessments of the lake’s littoral zone—the shallow waters near shore. Examples include native species and fish introduced to the region.

Group Examples What to know
Native *Orestias* Ispi (Orestias ispi), carachi amarillo (O. luteus), carachi gris (O. agassizii), and picachu (O. imarpe) These are native fish; common names can vary.
Native catfish relatives Mauri (Trichomycterus dispar) and suche (T. rivulatus) IMARPE’s 2024 compilation lists both among the lake’s principal commercially important fish.
Introduced fish Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Argentine pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) These are present in the region but are not native Titicaca fish.

IMARPE’s 2025 and 2026 assessments name fish found in regional sampling. They do not establish a complete, current count of all fish species across the lake.

What other aquatic wildlife is found there?

Giant Titicaca frog

The giant Titicaca frog (Telmatobius culeus) is an amphibian, not a fish. Peru’s National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP) describes it as endemic to the region.

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Waterbirds and habitat

SERNANP also lists representative waterbirds in information about the Titicaca National Reserve. A 2025 document on the Quta Mama regional conservation area describes native Orestias fish and the giant Titicaca frog there, with aquatic vegetation serving as habitat and breeding areas. That description applies to Quta Mama, not every shore of the lake.

How many fish species are in Lake Titicaca?

A current, comprehensive whole-lake total is not established by the recent monitoring sources. SERNANP reports 159 fauna species recorded in the Titicaca National Reserve, including more than 26 fish. That is a reserve-level inventory figure, not a current count for the entire lake.

A SINIA-hosted 2010 fish guide record says 23 Orestias species were then known only from Lake Titicaca. This is a historical statement, not an up-to-date species total; taxonomy and inventories can change.

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Are any native fish threatened?

SERNANP identifies boga (Orestias pentlandii), suche (Trichomycterus rivulatus), and mauri (Trichomycterus dispar) as examples of threatened native fish in its reserve information. This should not be read as a status assessment for every fish in the lake.

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