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Man-eating Piranha

Pygocentrus piraya

Description:

The fish Pygocentrus piraya often called the Piraya Piranha or San Francisco Piranha, and sometimes sold as the, Man Eating Piranha is a large, aggressive piranha from the São Francisco River basin in Brazil. It is one of the largest piranhas, reaching a maximum length of 50 cm in the wild, and is sometimes considered the most beautiful, with its orange to yellow belly coloration, silver eyes, and rayed fibrous adipose fin. Like most other piranhas, P. piraya is laterally compressed and roughly circular in profile, and bears a mouthful of very sharp teeth. The lower jaw is thick, strong, and protruding. This fish is an omnivore, but when hungry, stressed, or seeking live food it is very aggressive. This characteristic combined with its large size make it a danger to humans. Piranha attacks on humans are anecdotal for the most part. The piraya prefers to eat small fish and insects, along with seeds and aquatic plant material.

Habitat:

Marine Aquarium exhibit

Notes:

Captive at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.

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2 Comments

Liam
Liam 12 years ago

Thanks, Gerardo.

Gerardo Aizpuru
Gerardo Aizpuru 12 years ago

Hello Liam
freshwater i suppose
Looks from the piranha family to me.
Maybe Serrasalmus Spilopleura or Gold piranha.

Liam
Spotted by
Liam

South Carolina, USA

Spotted on Nov 6, 2010
Submitted on Jan 24, 2012

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