Piranhas Facts

Piranhas have just about the same reputation as great white sharks, in that they are man eaters and the Hollywood movie scene loves to show their worst side whenver is appropriate. Their amazing apetite for meat is what originally gave them the bad repuation. There are many piranha fish facts that you would find extremely interesting. While many humans fear these fish, there are thousands of natives that swim in the same bodies of water with these fish and go unharmed.

Piranhas generally pose little threat to humans, and attacks on humans are extremely rare. Natives frequently swim in piranha infested water without attacks or scratches. It is not recommended to swim where piranha live in drought season because of increased aggressiveness caused by food scarcity. Piranha fish also have the same sensory system that enables sharks to detect blood in miniscule amounts, so it is believed that swimming with an open cut may enhance the chance of an attack.

Stories about schools of piranhas turning horses or people into skeletons within seconds are the result of numerous re-tellings and exaggerations over the years. While piranha schools can reach over a thousand in count, and bites do happen, there are no documented reports of someone being killed in a piranha attack. There are, however, documented cases of people dying from other causes and then being consumed by piranha (they just happened to be the scavenger that got there first).

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The piranha is a type of freshwater fish found in the rivers of the South American jungles. The piranha can be found in nearly every country in South America and the piranha have been appearing more recently in the south of the USA.

The piranha fish has a single row of razor-sharp teeth with the piranha being most commonly known for their taste for blood. The piranha feeds on fish, mammals and birds alike, with the wholes group of piranhas feeding together in a slight frenzy.

Despite the carnivorous nature of the piranha, the piranha is actually an omnivore and will eat almost anything that it can find. Piranhas mainly feed on fish, snails, insects and aquatic plants occasionally eating larger mammals and birds that fall into the water.

Despite it's feared nature, the piranha actually has a number of predators in the wild, including humans that hunt the piranha for food. Piranhas are preyed upon by large predators such as river dolphins (known as botos), crocodiles, turtles, birds and larger fish.


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