Well, at first a bit of the origin of the word: in translation from Portuguese the word “piranha” means “a pirate”. Alfred Brem in his book “The life of Animals” wrote about these fish that their gluttony didn’t have limits, they could eat animals who were ten times bigger that they were, even crocodiles tried to avoid a stock of piranhas turning its back on the surface of water pretending that it was not alive… Great, isn’t it? More than enough material to add to the stereotypes about these intimidating creatures…
It’s no surprise that people have been afraid of these “tiny fish” for a long time. BUT Our fear about them is slightly exaggerated. A piranha is strong in dangerous only in a stock. Solitary fish don’t go for people and animals which try to cross a river on foot or swim in it.
Actually, from the family of piranhas 30-35 species eat only acquatic plants and fallen in water fruit, other 28-30 ones are typical beasts of prey. But only 4 species constitute a danger for endotherms including a human.
The stories about people devoured by piranhas and bloodcurdling episodes from the adventure films have nothing in common with actuality (well, in most cases). We can see the scenes when people in the South America can swim and wash the clothes in the rivers inhabited by piranhas. Piranhas don’t touch them for some reason. Anyway there are only the reliable information about several bites but there is no data about the people who died from the attack of a stock of piranhas.
The more dangerous water animals for swimmers are an absolutely inoffensive on the first sight limnetic skate. Though it’s also not the most dangerous creature. For people who live in riveraine areas of Amazon the most horrifying fish is not a piranha or a skate, but a tiny (under 6.2 cm, usually even smaller) pout called “kandiru”. Kandiru is the only one vertebrate in the world parasitizing on a human. This itsy-bitsy fish can penetrate a human body through the urogenital tract of a careless swimmer, after that it sucks blood. Kandiru can be removed from a body only by a surgical interference, though the Indians believe that it can be exiled from a body of a sufferer with the juice of crude fruit jagua.
At home conditions Aquarians take up fish-farming of the dangerous species of piranhas but they don’t complain about their favorite “pets”. They admit that usually they are quite peaceful living in aquariums and don’t try to attack people’s hands (maybe once in a while, just for personal pleasure). V.Tretyakov, a Russian biologist, says that the problem about the danger of piranhas is not solved. He admitted that piranhas living in home conditions usually quite timid. When they are transported in other place they are literally “sink into a faint”! They fall sideways going down to the bottom, but fortunately, then they reel from the shock quite quickly. And only in their own defence they set a-going their jaws, but this situation is very rare.
Well, in the conclusion it is worth mentioning that “blood-thirsty” piranhas are very careful and attentive parents. They beat off vehemently everybody who encroaches their spawning area. Very protective parents!
The final Curious © phrase:
“The devil is not so black as he is painted”
(English proverb)
