Top 25 Amazing facts about piranhas...
A piranha is a ferocious freshwater fish.
Piranhas live in lakes and rivers in South America.
They require warm water to survive and do not eat when the water temperature is less
than 12°C (54°F) degrees Fahrenheit.
The total number of piranha species is unknown and contested, and new species continue to
be described. Estimates range from fewer than 30 to more than 60.
In this video, we will learn more about Piranhas fish:
1. They live up to 25 years in the wild and 10-20 years in captivity.
2. Piranhas are normally about 15 to 25 centimeters (6 to 10 inches) long, although some specimens
have been reported to be up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in length.
3. Piranhas range in color from yellow to steel-grey to bluish to partly red to almost
black.
A piranha’s mouth is lined with a single row of razor-sharp, triangular teeth. They
have a distinct under-bite, which means the bottom row of teeth is constantly exposed.
4. It’s not uncommon for piranhas to lose teeth throughout their lifetime. But, while
sharks replace their teeth individually, piranhas replace teeth in quarters multiple times throughout
their lifespan.
5. Most piranhas are shy and non-aggressive, unless they are hunting or protecting their
young.
6. Black piranhas and red-bellied piranhas are considered the most dangerous and aggressive
toward humans.
7. Despite the carnivorous nature of the piranha, the piranha is actually an omnivore and will
eat almost anything that it can find.
8. A typical piranha diet consists of insects, fish, crustaceans, worms, carrion, seeds,
fruit, and other plant material.
They will also eat whatever meat crosses their path, and because they hunt in groups, they
can take down large animals.
9. Piranhas rarely attack humans. Fatal attacks are extremely rare.
10. These voraciously hungry fish tend to have a lurk-and-ambush style of attack that
occurs en masse, with large groups of piranha feeding at once.
11. Shoals of piranhas can be found in numbers of up to 1000.
12. Various stories exist about piranhas, such as how they can dilacerate a human body
or cattle in seconds. These legends refer specifically to the red-bellied piranha.
13. Experiments have shown that piranhas have an amazingly acute sense of smell, which aids
them in locating food in the often murky waters of their native habitat.
14. Piranhas have the standard respiratory system that most fish have. They take water
in through their gills and then absorb oxygen from the water. The oxygen then goes to the
bloodstream. After the oxygen is absorbed the carbon dioxide is exhaled through the
gills.
15. The female lays around 5000 eggs then the male will fertilize the eggs. The male
will then protect the eggs and become very territorial of them. The piranhas will spawn
from the eggs after a few days. They have two spawning periods, one in April/May and
a second in the late summertime.
16. Many animals prey upon piranhas (especially young piranhas), including other piranhas,
larger fish, caimans, water snakes, turtles, birds, otters, and people.
17. The word piranha literally translates as “toothfish” in the indigenous Brazilian
language of Tupi.
18. Native people of South America use piranha teeth for tools and weapons.
19. When American President Theodore Roosevelt visited Brazil in 1913, he went on a hunting
expedition through the Amazon Rainforest. While standing on the bank of the Amazon River,
he witnessed a spectacle created by local fishermen. After blocking off part of the
river and starving the piranhas for several days, they pushed a cow into the water, where
it was quickly torn apart and skeletonized by a school of hungry piranhas.
20. Piranhas can be bought as pets in some areas, but they are illegal in many parts
of the United States. It is illegal to import piranhas into the Philippines and violators
could face six months to four years in jail.
21. The most common aquarium piranha is Pygocentrus nattereri, the red-bellied piranha.
22. Films have often portrayed piranhas as aggressive, insatiable predators.
23. Piranha (1978) and Piranha II: The Spawning (1981) perpetuated the piranha’s sinister
image by showing murderous piranha fish biting and eating humans. In the 2010 film Piranha
3D, a previously unknown piranha is discovered.
24. Fossil evidence puts piranha ancestors in the continent’s rivers 25 million years
ago, but modern piranha genera may have only been around for 1.8 million years.
25. Piranhas have also been discovered in the Kaptai Lake in southeast Bangladesh and
in the Lijiang River in China. Research is being carried out to establish how piranhas
have moved to such distant corners of the world from their original habitat.
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