Piranha fish where it lives. Piranha is a fish with razor-sharp teeth. Natural distribution area
South America is famous for many curiosities, including piranha fish. Piranha is translated from the language of South American Indians as "tooth fish". This name very accurately characterizes a fish that exposes its teeth to the public. This is due to the special anatomical structure of the jaw. The jaw muscles are very strong and the teeth are very sharp. Thanks to this, piranhas do not tear their prey in parts, but cut off pieces of meat with sharp teeth. Piranha teeth are very sharp and can even damage metal on occasion.
Piranhas are cannibals and will gladly pounce on their wounded compatriots. In general, these are extremely gluttonous and dangerous fish which even crocodiles fear. There are many legends and myths about their bloodthirstiness. But, fortunately, most species of piranhas are completely harmless, and only four species of piranhas show aggression and can be dangerous to humans. There is even evidence of fish attacks on people. Fortunately, none of these cases ended in death.
Piranha is a freshwater predator that is dangerous for both animals and humans. Now there are more than 20 species of these fish.
The most famous and widespread species is the common piranha. This fish has a rather exotic appearance: a large mouth with a protruding lower jaw, studded with sharp teeth. This gives her appearance a rather intimidating look. The size of the fish is small, no more than 15 cm, occasionally there are individuals 20 cm long. But some can grow up to 50 cm in length.
Accordingly, the weight of piranhas is also small and very rarely reaches 1 kg.
Different types of piranhas differ from each other in color, but most of fish are painted olive green, or, there is such a combination - a black-blue back, abdomen and sides are silver-gray or dark.
When hunting for fish, piranhas rely on their speed and surprise. They guard their prey in a secluded place, from where they swiftly attack at a convenient time. With the whole flock, they pounce on the prey and devour it. In this case, each individual acts for itself.
Surprisingly subtle sense of smell helps them to detect prey. They discover blood near them immediately after its appearance. Piranhas immediately pounce on the victim in a crowd. Fish that are subjected to such a rapid attack begin to panic and scatter in an attempt to save their lives. Fast piranhas catch them one by one. They swallow small fish whole, and big booty tear to pieces. Rather, they tear off pieces of meat from large fish, which they immediately swallow, and then, again, dig into their prey.
In nature, piranhas gather in large flocks and spend most of their time in search of food. Although piranhas are river fish, they can also be found in the sea during floods. But here they have no opportunity for spawning. Spawning usually takes place from March to August. At this time, thousands and thousands of eggs fall into the reservoirs. Depending on the water temperature, the incubation period of eggs is from 10 to 15 days.
Contrary to popular belief, adults do not form large schools. In some aquariums, when breeding piranhas, it was noticed that piranhas keep a very decent distance from each other. And when it was time for feeding, they unanimously pounced on the food in a tight formation. When feeding ended, the necessary distance was restored. It was also noticed that when the density of piranhas became uncomfortable for them (too high), a fight broke out between them.
Piranhas feed mainly on fish, but do not disdain birds in the water. But there were no cases of killing people.
Piranhas are very voracious, so they have to live only in rivers where fish is found in abundance. Most often they can be found in shallow water, in muddy water and at great depths.
Piranhas are common in water bodies South America. The largest populations of piranhas live in the rivers of Venezuela, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, Guyana and Central Argentina. The habitat of piranhas covers tens of millions of square kilometers. We can say that from the eastern borders of the Andes to the Atlantic itself.
The common piranha is popular in the aquarium trade. IN aquarium conditions she is shy, and behaves very cautiously. In nature, fish find many shelters and secluded places for themselves, which they lack in an aquarium. The aquarium should have soft, slightly acidic water with a neutral reaction and good filtration. Constantly support normal level The presence of mangrove root snags in the aquarium will help the pH.
But most countries prohibit breeding these fish at home. And, probably, this is correct, since there are many pranksters-owners who like to release these fish into natural reservoirs “for fun” and see what happens. As a result of such actions, the press often broadcasts about toothy monsters, which are caught either in the Vistula, or in the Volga, or somewhere else. Fortunately, winters are more severe everywhere than in the Amazon, so fish cannot adapt to such cold rivers. So piranhas live only in their native South America.
Oddly enough, piranhas - caring parents and drive everyone away from their dwelling. In this article, you will get to know these predatory babies in more detail and find out why the piranha is called the Amazon thunderstorm. This fish has a deceptive appearance that does not look intimidating at all, but when it comes to its culinary preferences, then you should be afraid here. So, meet the piranha!
"A-ah-ah-ah!" The scream echoed throughout the apartment. The frightened owner ran out of the kitchen and saw with horror that the water in his insanely expensive aquarium turned red, and an old friend stood with a bitten finger. "Why did you put your hand in the aquarium? There are piranhas in there!"
Piranha (piranha) - a family of fish of the carp order. The body is laterally compressed, high, up to 60 cm long. Powerful jaws bear sharp, wedge-shaped teeth. St. 50 species, in fresh waters South America. Mostly flocking predators, attacking fish and other animals, dangerous to humans (a flock of common piranhas can destroy a large animal in a few minutes). Herbivorous species cleanse water bodies of aquatic vegetation. Small species are kept in aquariums, where they lose their aggressiveness.
Piranhas are small, on average up to 30 cm in length, fish inhabit the rivers of South America. Young piranhas are silver-blue in color, with dark speckles, but darken with age and acquire a black mourning color. Despite their small stature, piranhas are one of the most voracious fish. The razor-sharp teeth of a piranha, when it closes its jaws, adjoin each other like a folded lock of fingers. With his teeth, he can easily bite a stick or a finger.
Shepherds driving herds across rivers where piranhas are found have to give one of the animals. And while the predators are cracking down on the victim, away from this place, the entire herd is safely transported to the other side. Wild animals proved to be no less intelligent than humans. To drink water or cross a river where piranhas are found, they begin to attract the attention of predators with the noise or splash of water. And when the flock of piranhas rush to the noise, the animals along the shore move to a safe place, drink quickly there or cross the river.
The quarrelsome nature of piranhas makes them often quarrel and attack each other. But some amateur aquarists, in spite of everything, run the risk of keeping these fish at home. Piranhas attack everything. Living being within their reach: big fish living in the river domestic and wild animals, human. Alligator - and he tries to get out of their way.
Here it is - the famous and legendary piranha. A small fish, only some 20 cm, with a purple (in females) or blue-black (in males) color. It can also be olive-silver or bright red. Sweet fish? Believe me, it's better not to deal with her. Piranhas are known for their reputation as bloodthirsty fish. Just look at her strongly developed jaw with many sharp, pyramidal teeth.
The very name is fraught with danger. The word "piranha" is borrowed from the South American Indians and means "toothed demon". Indeed, they have terrible teeth. The jaw muscles are so developed that the piranha can "cut off" the smallest piece. She does not tear her prey, but cuts it in pieces, like a surgeon with a scalpel. The teeth are very sharp, not a single thick skin is a defense. An adult piranha can easily bite a stick or human finger. A piranha can even bite through steel. Piranhas are especially dangerous during spawning, when at first a pair of fish, and later one male, guards the laying of eggs. The piranha family includes several species of predatory, as well as a large number of herbivorous species.
The most common is the common or, as it is also called, the red piranha. It is common in the fresh waters of South America, almost universally found in the Amazon, Orinoco and La Plata basins. It can also be found in the eastern foothills of the Andes and Colombia, throughout the Amazon basin, in Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and northeast Argentina. Insignificant populations of piranhas are also found in the USA and Mexico, in Europe, in Spain and other countries where they came from amateur aquariums. Young people are more active and gather in flocks more often. They are constantly roaming in search of food.
Adult piranhas are distinguished by solid behavior: most of the time they stand in their chosen place, sometimes they hide behind snags or in algae, that is, they prefer not to chase prey, but to wait for it from shelter. Despite the fact that piranhas are predators and have a reputation as "underwater wolves", these fish are very shy and easily go into shock when frightened. With a sharp movement, the fish turns pale and falls sideways to the bottom, after a while the fish wakes up, starts swimming as usual, and then beware, the piranha will defend and attack. clean a large animal to the skeleton in a minute. These fish are attracted to water splashes and the smell of blood. Feeding piranhas are an unpleasant sight. The water literally boils from the fish scurrying back and forth. And the victim, surrounded by these predators, literally disappears before our eyes. Piranhas also behave like cannibals: they can eat another piranha caught on a hook. Young piranhas can grab a piece of the fin from their neighbor while feeding. That is why it is very difficult to meet not crippled fish - almost all of them are wounded and scarred. No case is known when a piranha would eat a person. However, every year about 80 people suffer from this predator. The wounds that remain after her teeth are very serious and never fully heal.
The best thing is if after meeting with piranhas only a scar remains. There are a lot of cases when, because of piranhas, a person lost one of his body parts - a finger, or even his entire arm or leg. In some countries, they tried to completely destroy piranhas. In Brazil, they tried to poison her with poisons, but piranhas are very hardy. As a result, piranhas remained unharmed, while other inhabitants of the reservoirs suffered. But you can not destroy piranhas also because they are needed by nature. Piranhas, like wolves, are orderlies - they kill the weaker, the old and the sick. Thus, they make the populations of their victims stronger. And if you do not want to suffer from piranhas, then just do not climb into the water if you know that they are found there.
Piranha is known for its aggressiveness, so its danger to humans is not in doubt. A flock of these fish is capable of leaving only a skeleton of their prey in a few seconds, without exaggeration. Thanks to its teeth, the fish can easily cling to any prey and tear off a piece from it. Every year, approximately 80 people suffer from piranha bites, despite the fact that only a few prey on warm-blooded mammals, in particular, "red" and "black".
Wounds left after piranha teeth are always serious, and never heal completely. Many are left without body parts - a finger or a hand. But, in fact, up to 50 grams of meat is enough for one fish to get enough. According to recent studies, their aggressiveness is also exaggerated. They don't attack anything that gets in their way. Their period of bloodthirstiness falls on the time of spawning and the dry period. In other cases, this fish is unusually cowardly, and would rather swim away from danger than fight it. So, in the rainy season, when the water level rises by 15 meters, and the flooded forests become a real feast for piranhas, locals quietly climb into the water. Unless, of course, they have a bleeding wound. To date, not a single case has been recorded when a piranha ate a person.
Piranha (Pygocentrus) Muller & Troschel, 1844
Piranha (Piranha) from the Guarani language means "evil fish".
Order: Characinformes (Characiformes).
Family: Kharatsin (Characidae).
Subfamily: Piranhas (Serrasalminae).
Genus: Piranha (Pygocentrus).
Species: Includes four varieties of true Piranhas.
Foreword
Known as a voracious predator capable of quickly tearing flesh from bone and dangerous to any animal that enters its waters, the Red Belly Piranha is one of the most famous freshwater fish in the world. As a result, the demonstration of this "bloodthirsty" creature, which occurs in most public aquariums, creepy Hollywood movies and the species became popular in the aquarium trade.
According to Herbert Axelrod (1976), the myth began when american president Theodore Roosevelt visited the Amazon of Brazil in 1913. Numerous journalists accompanied him, and the Brazilians staged a series of ploys, one of which was that the president allegedly "discovered and discovered" a new river, which was then named after him. One of the tributaries of the Aripuanan was chosen and is still referred to today as the Rio Roosevelt or Rio Teodoro.
When Roosevelt arrived at the river, a surprise was prepared by the Brazilians - a section of several hundred yards was blocked, for several weeks the fishermen released hundreds of adult piranhas there and isolated them there. They informed the president that he and his men should refrain from entering the water, as they would be eaten alive by the terribly vicious fish. Naturally, this news was met with skepticism, then a cow was driven there. This sparked a spectacular, furious fight for the right to get "their piece" among the trapped, hungry piranhas. After this event, the newspapers were filled with stories about scary, carnivorous fish, but there was not a single record of the killing of a man by wild piranhas.
According to information from a number of sites and forums currently devoted to this topic, captive keeping of piranhas and their relatives has undergone a relative boom over recent decades. Many various kinds are now available, but most of them are caught in wild nature, are expensive and beyond the reach of most hobbyists. Natterer piranhas, by contrast, are commercially bred, coin-sized juveniles are sold quite cheaply, for a fish requiring specialized and ultimately costly management and maintenance. For enthusiasts, this is an excellent aquarium inhabitant, but serious thought and study have importance before the purchase.
Natterer's piranha has proven difficult to identify for a number of reasons. For example, Pygocentrus piraya and Pygocentrus cariba are endemic to certain river basins (San Francisco in Brazil and Orinoco in Venezuela/Colombia, respectively) and have distinct morphological features. Pygocentrus nattereri has an incredibly wide distribution, and color can vary significantly even between individuals of the same population. The coloration of the fish also varies depending on the type of habitat, fish living in black water / Blackwater conditions are generally darker, with less red-orange color than those living in clear or white water.
Morphology and structure in adult fish can vary in head and body shape, the presence or absence of dark spots or a reticulate pattern on the sides and fins.
Piranhas (Pygocentrus) - in all species, the conditions for keeping, feeding and breeding are similar.
Piranha Natterera / Piranha Common / Red-bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) Kner, 1858
nattereri: named after the Austrian naturalist Johann Natterer (1787-1843).
Range and Habitat
Currently found throughout most of the Amazon Basin (Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia) and the Essequibo River (Guyana and Venezuela) in the northeast, and further south in the Parana Rivers (Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina) and Uruguay (Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina).Habitats include big rivers, small tributaries, oxbow lakes, floodplain lakes and ponds.
Description
All representatives of the genus Piranha (Pygocentrus) are distinguished by a convex forehead and a massive lower jaw, a small mouth and very sharp teeth on both jaws.
A wide, laterally compressed body, small pectoral and ventral fins, an elongated anal fin, a powerful forked tail and small scales make these fish incredibly fast. The belly is all jagged, like a grater. Between the dorsal and caudal there is also an adipose fin - a characteristic sign of the Kharatsin.
Adults are brightly colored. Exist various options, but most often the top is gray with a metallic sheen, below the body is silver with golden splashes, the throat, abdomen and anal fin are red-orange. There are dark spots on the sides and many shiny inclusions on the scales.
Size
Maximum standard length 250 - 350 mm.Behavior and Compatibility
Best kept alone in a species tank, although adult piranhas tend not to prey on more small fish. Wild P. nattereri are often said to hunt in voracious packs, but usually only juveniles form aggregations. Older individuals exist in loose groups and form dominance hierarchies, so purchasing either a single specimen or a 5+ group is recommended, the latter being preferred.
Aquarium
Only suitable for large aquariums.
Some aquarists keep this species bare bottom for ease of maintenance, but regular aquarium gravel or sand are suitable substrates. Choosing a different décor is mostly down to personal preference, but live plants can be eaten, especially if the fish choose to spawn. Lighting is of no fundamental importance and can be from weak to strong, as preferred.
All true piranha varieties tend to produce a lot of waste, so the use of one or more small external filters is essential. If possible, purchase filters with a built-in/through-flow heater, or at least one that is unbreakable, as adult fish are known to damage underwater equipment. The sump system / SAMP works well in this regard.
Water parameters:
Temperature: 24 - 28 ° C;pH: 5.5 - 7.5;
Hardness: 2 - 12 dHG.
Try to change 30-50% of the tank volume every week, and be extra careful when doing maintenance or catching fish, for whatever reason be careful.
Nutrition
Pygocentrus species are not exclusively carnivorous, but can more accurately be described as opportunistic generalists.The natural diet consists of live fish plus aquatic invertebrates, insects, nuts, seeds and fruits. Each jaw has a single row of sharp, triangular teeth that are used as blades to pierce, tear, grind and crush.
They sometimes attack sick or dying fish, eat the remains of skeletons large species, but attacks on live animals entering the water are very rare and mostly involve accidental bites or cases in which large numbers of these fish are left in small waters during dry periods.
In an aquarium, juveniles may be offered bloodworms, small earthworms, shredded shrimps, and the like, while adults will take pieces of fish flesh, whole shrimp, mussels, large earthworms, etc.
This species should not be fed on mammalian or poultry meat as some of the lipids they contain cannot be properly absorbed by the fish and may cause excess body fat and even organ degeneration. In addition, there is no benefit in feeding fish such as viviparous or small goldfish, which carry the risk of disease and generally do not have a high nutritional value.
Sexual Dimorphism
Females usually reach bigger size in adulthood and have a more rounded body shape than males.Breeding
Wild populations go through two annual breeding seasons, the first during the rise in water levels at the beginning of the rainy season, and the second during the low water period in November and December, when there is a sudden temporary rise in water levels. Flooded coastal vegetation and water meadows of floodplain lakes are the preferred spawning grounds.
Natterer piranhas are relatively easy to breed in an aquarium. Puberty occurs at about the age of one year, with a body length of 100-150 mm. If you can't find a pair of spawners, it's probably best to start with a group of 6+ fish, which allows pairings to occur naturally. In some documented cases, spawning has been initiated by large changes cold water, while in others it happened without intervention.
When males are ready to breed, they become territorial, using their mouth and caudal fin to create a depression in the ground in the center of the selected area. Aquatic plants can also be "cut down" and the resulting "nest" is protected from other males.
Females ready for spawning show interest in what is happening, at this moment both the male and the female become darker in color. Caviar is laid in several portions and guarded by the male, sometimes the female helps in this. In very large aquariums, several pairs may spawn at the same time.
The larvae hatch within 2-3 days, begin free swimming on the fifth. IN this moment, it is considered the best for transferring fry to smaller, nursery tanks. Artemia nauplii, microworms or equivalent are suitable as initial food, and will require about 10% water changes daily.
The fry become cannibalistic due to the difference in growth rate, when this starts to happen they should be moved to larger tanks, in batches of equal size.
Think carefully before you start breeding, you could end up raising more than 1000 fry, which later will simply have nowhere to go.
Pygocentrus Common / Piranha from the San Francisco River / Piranha Cuvier (Pygocentrus Piraya) Cuvier, 1819
A distinctive feature of this piranha is that the orange-red color rises along the entire length of the body of the fish, reaches the lateral line, sometimes higher.
Bounded by the San Francisco River Basin in eastern Brazil, including major tributaries such as the Velhas and Grande rivers.Inhabits large river channels, small tributaries, floodplain lakes and large artificial reservoirs formed by dams.
Size
300 - 350 mm.Aquarium
Only suitable for public display or the largest private aquariums.
Water parameters:
Temperature: 20 - 28 ° C;pH: 6.0 - 8.0.
Breeding
Not recorded, but probably uses a similar reproductive strategy as their relatives P. nattereri.Black Piranha / Black-spotted Piranha / Piranha Cariba (Pygocentrus cariba) Humboldt, 1821
A distinctive feature of this piranha is a black spot on the body, just behind the gill cover.
Distribution and natural habitat
Limited to the Orinoco Basin of Colombia and Venezuela, including major tributaries such as the rivers Inirida, Guaviare, Meta, Tomo, Casanare, Apure and Guarico.
It lives in large river channels, smaller tributaries and floodplain lakes, many of which contain acidic, low-mineralized "Black Water", although it is also found in clear water.
Many of its habitats are within Venezuela and Colombia, seasonally flooded plains and forests, the total area of which is almost 600 thousand square kilometers.
There are clearly defined weather with distinct wet and dry seasons and all year round high temperatures.
Size
250 - 350 mm.Aquarium
Only suitable for public demonstration or the largest private aquariums, from 240 * 90 * 60cm or equivalent, it is minimum requirements for a group of fish.
Water parameters:
Temperature: 20 - 28 ° C;pH: 4.0 - 7.0.
Piranha Palometa (Pygocentrus palometa) Valenciennes, 1850
The species was described by Valenciennes, but no confirmation of this has been found at present. Spreading
Orinoco river basin, Venezuela.The existence of this species has not been established/confirmed for certain.
The only source of discovery of this species are the surviving records on paper.
Notes general
The Piranha family (Serrasalmidae) contains 16 genera including piranhas, pacu and relatives.Them characteristics include a compressed body shape, a long dorsal fin with 16 or more rays, and variable number sharp notches formed by modified abdominal scales.
They are found in numerous habitats, from lowland floodplains and flooded forests to headwaters upstream, and are also found in all major river systems South America east of the Andes. Some species perform unique ecological functions, such as seed dispersal or maintenance of inland fisheries.
Representatives display three main features of nutrition: predators (carnivorous), frugivorous (eating fruits and seeds) and lepidophages (eating scales and fins of other fish). Predatory species usually have one row of triangular teeth in each jaw, frugivores usually have two rows of incisors or molar teeth (pressing and chewing) on the premaxilla, while lepidophages have tuberculate teeth and are located on the outer edge of the premaxilla.
evolutionary history Piranhas (Serrasalmidae) has been studied by various authors, including the most recent studies (Thompson et al., 2014) supporting the existence of three major genera in the family. The genus “Pacu” contains the species Colossoma, Mylossoma and Piaractus, “Piranha” includes Metynnis, Pygopristis, Pygocentrus, Pristobrycon, Catoprion and Serrasalmus and the genus “Mileus” includes the species Myleus schomburgkii.
Piranha(Serrasalminae) is a carp-like predatory fish the characin family.
Description of Piranha:
Piranhas are 30 cm long and weigh almost 1 kilogram. Mature piranha - big fish, with a silver-olive color and a red or purple tint. There is a black border at the ends of the caudal fin. In growing piranhas, the color is silver, the sides with black spots. anal and pelvic fins red coloration.
The lower jaw and powerful teeth enable these fish to tear off large chunks of flesh from the victim. The teeth of piranhas look like a triangle 4-5 mm high. They are placed in such a way that the teeth of the upper jaw fit directly into the slots between the teeth of the lower jaw. The jaws of these fish act as follows: during the closing of the jaws, the flesh is cut off instantly by sharp teeth. When moving in different directions with closed jaws in a horizontal position, piranhas are able to grab large areas of food - veins and bones. A mature piranha can easily bite off a person's finger or bite a strong stick.
Fish are quite voracious and in their natural habitat they can attack any fish and animals, even which are several times larger. Even crocodiles are afraid of these predators. It is also interesting that sometimes piranhas can act as cannibals and eat their wounded comrades.
Piranha Habitat:
They live in reservoirs and rivers of South America, in particular the Amazon, La Plata and Orinoco. More piranhas can be found in the foothills of Colombia, the Andes, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. Small populations exist in Mexico, USA, Spain and some others. European countries. Piranhas have spread widely. Especially the number of piranhas increased in the 1940s to 1950s. The reason was the extermination of most of the black caiman population.Piranha care:
The temperature should be 24-26°C. Water should be purified and filtered, as well as aerated. 2 times a week you need to change 40% of the water to a new one.Piranhas are schooling fish and for their normal maintenance, at least 7-10 individuals are needed. Without relatives, they quickly become overwhelmed.
You can lower your hand into an aquarium with well-fed piranhas. But if you have bleeding cuts and sores, then don't do it. And in general it is better not to risk lowering your hand into an aquarium with these predators. Piranhas can, in principle, be kept in the same aquarium with other characion fish, under one condition - constant and regular nutrition.
It is interesting that piranhas, although the most dangerous predators on the ground, they are nevertheless very fearful. The aquarium where piranhas will live is best kept from shadows and noise, otherwise these critters may faint from fright. Sometimes, it is even enough to make a sharp movement near the aquarium to scare them away.
Of particular interest is the process of feeding these fish. Calm and graceful while swimming, smelling food alone at one moment pounce on it. You need to feed piranhas with meat.
Piranha breeding:
Piranhas are not difficult to breed fish and it is possible to breed them at home. Paradoxically, piranhas take good care of their children and drive away anyone who might be a danger to them. It is worth mentioning that piranhas are dangerous during breeding, when producers guard the eggs.Water for dilution is as follows: temperature 26-28 ° C, hardness dH up to 6.0 °; pH 6.5. Reproduction is done by pituitary injections. The main thing is to feed the fish often with a variety of foods. The aquarium should be spacious, from 300 liters or more. For breeding, it is best to plant a group of piranhas, there should be more males than females. When excited, the fish acquire a black and blue color.
You can start feeding the fry with Artemia. It is important to sort them by size often, otherwise more large fry can eat small ones.
Spawning is needed for 300 liters of water or more. It is worth planting a group of fish for spawning, and there should be more males. In an excited state, the fish become blue-black. Feeding fry is not difficult.
The main types of Piranhas:
Our country has the following types fish data:1. Common Metynnis Metynnis hypsauchen;
2. Slender piranha Serrasalmus elongatus;
3. Red piranha Rooseveltiella nattereri (approx 10 different names);
4. Dwarf piranha Serrasalmus hollandi;
5. Lunar methinnis Metynnis luna;
6. Red pacu Colossoma bidens (grass-eating piranha);
7. Flag piranha Catoprion mento;
8. Red-finned mile Myleus rubripinnis.
There are species of piranhas that feed on vegetation (Colossoma macropomum). They clear water from vegetation. Small species of these toothy fish are specially bred for aquariums, in which they are no longer aggressive.
These fish got their name from the ancient Guarani language: "pira" - which means fish and "ania" - devil, demon, fangs, teeth.
Piranhas are such critters that have to fall in love with themselves. They cause great sympathy for themselves, despite their awesome appearance.
In most countries where they live, piranhas have been tried to be destroyed. But they are pretty durable.
piranhas, like wolves, represent a kind of orderlies of nature - they kill old, sick and weak fish and animals. But in any case, if you keep these fish, be careful.