Piranha ( Characidae )

Piranha ... or Characidae!


Piranha are carnivorous fish that live in the Southern American rivers.  They are known for their deadly teeth and appetite for meat. Usually piranhas measure between one foot and two feet in length.

Though piranhas are commonly caught by fishermen down south and sold as food for money, they will bite frequently when handled. They are nuisances to bathers and swimmers if they have inhabited waters. They bite and injure people. It is not too dangerous, but is annoying.

Piranhas will also steal bait from fishing lines, damage other fish that have been caught, and damage fishing equipment ( all the more reason I am never going to hunt piranha ).  Piranhas are attracted by blood, so if you are swimming with an open wound in piranha infested water, beware.

Piranhas will not only eat things smaller then themselves, they will eat things larger than themselves. Once, the Amazon river was blocked by nets and a net of starving piranha were dumped into the blocked part of the river. Then, a cow was thrown in too, and was almost immediately a carcass.