When we dive into the water, we find a world that fascinates us. Colorful fish, anemones, snails… But there is also the other side of the water: flesh-eating "killer" fish.
We usually know Piranhas through their roles as villains in low-budget movies. But piranhas are not limited to just that. These fish originate from South America and live in giant rivers such as the Amazon and Orinoco. They live in giant rivers such as the Amazon and Orinoco. It is possible that their names come from the language of the Tupi people here, "Pira" means fish and "sainha" means scissors. So we can say it is “scissors fish”.
The Amazon's rich biodiversity
The Amazon is known as one of the world's richest biodiversity regions. These rivers, where piranhas live, empty these waters into the Atlantic after crossing the South American continent through deep rainforests.
Piranhas, which are in the Serraselmidae family within Characiformes, come in about 30 different species. They are generally 20 to 30 cm long, with some species growing up to 60 cm.
Piranhas are divided into two groups. They are described as carnivorous and herbivorous. The herbivorous ones are also called Pacu, but they are not dangerous. This group is also popular in the aquarium world. These are usually the fish exhibited in large aquariums and even in public aquariums designed as wildlife parks. Their food consists of foods such as fruits and seeds that fall from trees into the water. They are also larger than carnivorous piranha species.
Piranhas outside their natural habitat
Piranhas have been found in natural lakes and rivers in different parts of the world. These are probably released from aquariums and are disrupting the natural ecological structure and nutritional pyramid of the waters they are released into.
Kaptai lake in Bangladesh and Lijiang river in China are extreme examples from around the world. In fact, in 2012, a competition was held with a prize of 1000 Yuan for each piranha caught in this river. A competition was started after swimmers in the river were bitten by fish. But as a result of this competition, a lot of fish were drawn except piranha. Therefore the underwater ecological structure of the river was damaged.
We can also give some examples from Turkey. In 2017, the Turkish Chamber of Agricultural Engineers had a Piranha report in Adana Seyhan dam lake, and a news report from Anadolu Agency mentions a 2.5 kg piranha catch in Iznik lake in 2015.
As you can see, piranhas that were brought into Turkiye for ornamental fishing were somehow released into the lakes. Even keeping this fish as a pet is prohibited in most parts of America, and it is completely prohibited in the Philippines, and if the fish is found, it is destroyed and those who import it are given prison sentences.
Red-bellied Piranha and their aggressive nature
When we look into the details of the piranha species, Pygocentrus nattereri, or red-bellied piranha, is the easiest piranha species to find. They are quite aggressive and known for their strong jaws and rapid biting movement. If they are to be kept in an aquarium, they should be kept single, four or more, because these fish are quite aggressive and they do not allow the weaker ones to survive. lso, the type of piranha mentioned in the story They can strip a cow or a person down to their skeleton in a few seconds is generally this fish.
Carnivorous piranha species are the cousins that give this group its popularity. Its jaws, surrounded by sharp teeth, are very strong and open and close rapidly, making a biting movement, so that it can easily tear its prey to pieces and eat it. While doing this job, I don't think they really distinguish whether the thing they eat is a cow or a human :) Especially in Brazil, cases of people dying after falling into water have been reported, and there are also many reports of foot bites in puddles, lakes and dam reservoirs. The smell of blood is attractive to Piranhas, similar to some shark species. They can even attack their own if they bleed.
As just mentioned before you, there is a specie that can grow up to 60 cm. It’s The black Piranha, Pygocentrus piraya, and it lives in Brazil. It has a striking yellow ventral side and dark gray/olive green upper part.
Piranhas generally prey on other fish, reptiles, and sometimes larger animals, contributing to underwater cleaning. You can also think of this as organic cleaning of the underwater surface. In some areas where piranhas are known to live, people do not even approach the water where the fish are, the fact that there are no attacks in some areas seems to be related to a dynamic within the fish themselves. We can also argue that the tendency of fish to form schools is an act of protection from their enemies, because we are already aware of this behavior, especially in fish living in the sea.
What can we give as an example of the dynamic I just mentioned?
It could be that they are at breeding time, the habitat of the herds shrinks due to the receding waters and the number of individuals there increases, stress, or perhaps just the self-confidence that comes from being in a herd.
The nuisance and economic impact
Piranhas tear apart the hunting equipment of these predators in order to steal other prey caught inside them with their powerful teeth therefore they are considered an important cause of loss in South American fisheries. Although it is mentioned in many publications that Piranhas are not very aggressive fish in their natural habitat, as a result, the waters where hunting is done are also their natural habitat. Everyone loves ready meals. We cannot judge them for this reason. This makes them a remarkable nuisance, both underwater and partially above water.
Despite calling piranhas killers, they play a crucial role in maintaining underwater balance. Fishing in the Amazon and surrounding regions is vital, but piranhas can be a nuisance both underwater and above water.
Today we went and explored South America with you and talked about Piranha fish. When we look deeper, piranha is not the only fish that feeds on the food we define as "meat"; there are also "meat-eating fish" in the sea.
