Hydrolycus scomberoides..The payara's most noticeable feature is the two long fangs protruding from its lower jaw. These fangs can be 4 to 6 inches long. Parayas grow to be around 3 feet long with an average length of 1.5 ft. The payara's diet mainly consist of smaller fish; they impale other fish with their sharp teeth and consume them. Payaras also share the same habitat with butterfly peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris). In the Amazon River basin, payaras are restricted to tributaries above the mouth of the Rio Tapajós.