Piranhas are probably the most recognized, yet most mis-understood of Amazon fishes. Popular lore, fueled by President Theodore Roosevelt's account of his South American adventures, maintains that piranhas are vicious and voracious killers, capable of stripping the flesh off of a cow in 60 seconds... However, despite their very sharp teeth, people who actually live in the Amazon have no fear of these fish!
@ Nature's Images, Inc., photo by David Schleser (natimg@flash.net)
Piranhas are members of the very large characin family of fishes. Young red-bellied piranhas have distinctive red-bellies. Coloration becomes blacker in old individuals. Red-bellied piranhas are one of the commonest species of piranha, and can be locally abundant. They prey primarily on other fish, however, and never or very rarely attack mammals - at least in the rivers of the Amazon basin. In areas where piranhas may be trapped in shrinking dry-season lakes (the llanos of Venezuela or the Pantanal of Brazil), they may, at times be dangerous.
@ Project Amazonas, Inc., photo by Devon Graham
Old individuals of red-bellied piranhas become blacker and loose their red bellies. Although many people believe that piranhas eat only meat, most piranhas also eat other food items. Many eat fruit that falls into the water, and some species specialize on nipping the fins or scales of other fishes - essentially grazing on a renewable resources, without killing the source of the resource. Most larger fish in the Amazon exhibit fin damage due to piranhas - the fin tissue grows back rapidly, however, and the fish aren't permanently damaged.
@ Nature's Images, Inc., photo by David Schleser (natimg@flash.net)
Also known as 'black piranhas', these are among the largest of the piranhas, reaching lengths of 45 cm (~18"). They are most abundant in black-water rivers. Over a dozen different species of piranha occur in the Amazon basin, and in the area of the Project Amazonas field stations, there are at least 7 different species.
@ Project Amazonas, Inc., photo by Devon Graham
Despite the fact that local people are not afraid of piranhas, piranha bites DO occur! These inevitably occur when a piranha is being taken off a hook, out of a fishing net, or is flopping around in the bottom of a dug-out canoe. This girl was taking fish out of a gill net, and didn't handle a captured piranha carefully enough. Hooked or netted piranhas thrash and snap vigorously, so care is needed!
@ Project Amazonas, Inc., photo by Devon Graham
As is visible in this picture, the snapping piranha made a semi-circular bite on the girls palm, but fortunately didn't remove a chunk of flesh. Perhaps 10 years old at the most, the girl did not cry or fuss, but paddled her canoe across the river to have her mother wrap a strip of cloth around the wound. A short time later, we returned with, and applied antibiotic cream and proper bandaging material.
@ Project Amazonas, Inc., photo by Devon Graham
While piranhas rarely bite people (and only under duress), people very often bite piranhas! Cooked piranhas have nice flavor, but lots of small bones - somewhat similar to perch. Local people eat large quantities of piranhas, as just about any fish that they catch is eaten - only a few distasteful species are thrown back into the river.
@ Project Amazonas, Inc., photo by Devon Graham
In many years of swimming or bathing in the Amazon and its tributaries, researchers and visitors at Project Amazonas field sites have never been bitten by piranhas - even though people may be swimming in the river, while a few feet distant, someone may be catching piranhas on hook and line. While it is adviseable not to swim in the rivers with gaping wounds (to prevent nibbling by other fish species, if not piranhas), the hype built up around piranhas is clearly very exaggerated.
Piranhas are probably the most recognized, yet most mis-understood of Amazon fishes. Popular lore, fueled by President Theodore Roosevelt's account of his South American adventures, maintains that piranhas are vicious and voracious killers, capable of stripping the flesh off of a cow in 60 seconds... However, despite their very sharp teeth, people who actually live in the Amazon have no fear of these fish!
@ Nature's Images, Inc., photo by David Schleser (natimg@flash.net)
