A teenage boy was eaten alive by piranhas after leaping into a river infested with the flesh-eating fish in northeastern Bolivia, authorities have said.
The 18-year-old man was drunk when he jumped out of a canoe in the Bolivian town of Rosario del Yata, 400 miles (640 kilometres) north of the capital of La Paz, police official Daniel Cayaya said.
The man bled to death after the attack, which occurred last Thursday, Mr Cayaya said. First word of the incident emerged on Tuesday, when it was reported by the local Erbol radio station.
Police suspect that the man had committed suicide because he was a fisherman in the region who knew the Yata river well.
Despite their fearsome reputation, fatal attacks by piranhas on humans are rare
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/bolivia/8939656/Teenager-dies-jumping-into-piranha-infested-river.html
Note from Richard Freeman: If this is true then it is the only known case of a human being killed by piranhas
Showing posts with label piranhas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piranhas. Show all posts
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Piranhas Attack Swimmers Off Brazil Beach
Thousands of flesh-eating piranhas have been attacking swimmers off a river beach in western Brazil - with at least 15 people suffering injuries.
The creatures have infested the waters of the Paraguay river off the city of Caceres' Daveron beach, in Mato Grosso state.
Officials say it is the first time they have had a problem with piranhas in the area, where the aggressive fish began schooling about two weeks ago.
Elson de Campos Pinto, 22, was among those attacked.
"I took a dip in the river and when I stood up, I felt pain in my foot," he told Globo TV's G1 website.
"I saw that I had lost the tip of my toe. I took off running out of the river, afraid that I would be further attacked because of the blood. I'm not going back in for a long time."
Firefighter Raul Castro de Oliveira told G1: "People have got to be very careful. If they're bitten, they've got to get out of the water rapidly and not allow the blood to spread."
Read more here ...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Piranhas communicate with sound, say researchers
Despite a nasty reputation, piranhas seem to bark more often than bite.
Scientists have discovered that the fearsome fish use sounds to communicate - often intimidating their rivals rather than attacking.
With underwater microphones, scientists recorded the sounds the fish made when they confronted one another.
They reported in the Journal of Experimental Biology that each of these three sounds appeared to contain a different "message".
Lead researcher Eric Parmentier, from the University of Liege, Belgium, has studied sound production and communication in a wide variety of fish species, including the charismatic clownfish and the spectacularly ugly toad fish.
He already knew that piranhas made sounds, but wanted to understand why.
Many fish use noises to attract a mate, so the sounds are an important indicator that the fish are reproducing.
"Eventually, if we understand the behaviour that's associated with the sounds, we might be able to listen to the sea and explain to fishermen: 'Now's not the best time to start fishing'."
Dr Parmentier and his colleagues put a hydrophone - an underwater microphone - into a tank of piranhas in their lab and filmed the fish as they interacted.
They recorded three distinct sounds. The first was a bark that the fish produced when they "displayed" to each other - confronting one another face to face but not fighting.
Read on...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
'Vegetarian piranha' hooked in Hudson
ALBANY -- A South American fish sometimes called the "vegetarian piranha" got hooked by an angler in the Hudson River over the weekend, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The fish, called a pacu, is a cousin to the infamous flesh-eating predator, but instead eats plants and is not a threat to humans or other animals. It likely got into the river when someone dumped out the fish from a home aquarium.
Albany resident Steve Oathout said he was fishing off the Watervliet bike path Saturday evening when he caught the unusual flat fish, which was gray with a red underbelly. He took a picture and released the fish, which was about 16 inches long and weighed three pounds.
Reports to the DEC of pacus, which are widely available in aquarium shops, being caught in Hudson and Mohawk rivers average about one a year, DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino said.
The pacu looks similar to the piranha, but is larger and can grow to about the size of a turkey in its native habitat of Brazil. The pacu does not share the razor sharp teeth of its cousin.
But the piranha and the pacu have something in common -- neither fish can survive the colder waters of upstate New York in the winter.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Vegetarian-piranha-hooked-in-Hudson-1584936.php#ixzz1TDmir3pF
The fish, called a pacu, is a cousin to the infamous flesh-eating predator, but instead eats plants and is not a threat to humans or other animals. It likely got into the river when someone dumped out the fish from a home aquarium.
Albany resident Steve Oathout said he was fishing off the Watervliet bike path Saturday evening when he caught the unusual flat fish, which was gray with a red underbelly. He took a picture and released the fish, which was about 16 inches long and weighed three pounds.
Reports to the DEC of pacus, which are widely available in aquarium shops, being caught in Hudson and Mohawk rivers average about one a year, DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino said.
The pacu looks similar to the piranha, but is larger and can grow to about the size of a turkey in its native habitat of Brazil. The pacu does not share the razor sharp teeth of its cousin.
But the piranha and the pacu have something in common -- neither fish can survive the colder waters of upstate New York in the winter.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Vegetarian-piranha-hooked-in-Hudson-1584936.php#ixzz1TDmir3pF
Monday, August 30, 2010
I caught a piranha ...in the Thames
AN angler told yesterday how he caught a piranha - in the RIVER THAMES.
Richard Salmon, 38, was trying to catch chub when he reeled in the razor-toothed beastie - fabled as the world's most fearsome freshwater fish. He said: "I didn't expect to come eye to eye with a piranha."
The tropical fish, native to South America, is thought to have been dumped in the Thames by a collector with a heated aquarium. Graphic artist Richard knew it wouldn't survive long if he threw it back in the cool river. He said: "I took it home so I could prove to my pals I caught a piranha from the Thames.
"I normally fish for pike so I'm used to dealing with sharp teeth. But it was very unnerving unhooking it." Richard caught the 4in specimen in Marlow, Bucks, opposite the famous Compleat Angler hotel.
Piranhas can grow to 18ins and strip flesh from prey in seconds. They are scaring movie fans in Kelly Brook's new film Piranha 3D. In June The Sun told how angler Derek Plum, 46, hooked a piranha in a pond near Folkestone, Kent.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3115001/I-caught-a-piranha-in-the-Thames.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News
Richard Salmon, 38, was trying to catch chub when he reeled in the razor-toothed beastie - fabled as the world's most fearsome freshwater fish. He said: "I didn't expect to come eye to eye with a piranha."
The tropical fish, native to South America, is thought to have been dumped in the Thames by a collector with a heated aquarium. Graphic artist Richard knew it wouldn't survive long if he threw it back in the cool river. He said: "I took it home so I could prove to my pals I caught a piranha from the Thames.
"I normally fish for pike so I'm used to dealing with sharp teeth. But it was very unnerving unhooking it." Richard caught the 4in specimen in Marlow, Bucks, opposite the famous Compleat Angler hotel.
Piranhas can grow to 18ins and strip flesh from prey in seconds. They are scaring movie fans in Kelly Brook's new film Piranha 3D. In June The Sun told how angler Derek Plum, 46, hooked a piranha in a pond near Folkestone, Kent.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3115001/I-caught-a-piranha-in-the-Thames.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Angler pulls piranha from pond
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100617/tuk-angler-pulls-piranha-from-pond-6323e80.html
Angler pulls piranha from pond
Press Assoc.
A feared piranha has been caught in a British pond, thousands of miles from its common habitat in South America. Angler Derek Plum, 46, caught the fish, regarded as the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world, at Radnor Park in Folkestone, Kent. The 1lb 4oz catch was identified as a red-bellied piranha, whose diet consists mainly of fish, insects and worms.
Mr Plum told the Sun newspaper: "It took about 15 minutes to reel it in. When it emerged, it was thrashing around and was going crazy. The other fishermen were yelling 'You've caught a piranha'. I couldn't believe it." The Environment Agency said it was probably placed in the pond once it became too large for its tank after being kept as a domestic pet.
Experts say that while piranhas would not survive in UK rivers, the introduction of non-native species poses a serious threat to native wildlife. Fish species commonly found in the pond include carp, tench and roach. Reaching up to 14 inches long, the piranha is mainly found in the Amazon River basin in South America and is infamous for its razor-sharp teeth and for hunting prey in packs. In shoals, the piranha ambushes its prey, stripping the flesh of large animals such as anaconda snakes or even jaguar within minutes.
Paul Foot, chairman of the Folkestone and Shepway Angling Club, said someone was seen emptying a bin into the pond the week before the piranha was caught. He said: "It's 100% kosher because our secretary, who is a professional angler, saw it. Our pond gets dumped full of goldfish and the odd koi carp because people cannot afford to keep them. It's unusual that this fish survived because the weather has been so cold.
"Someone was seen during the week emptying a bin into the pond so it's possible that it had only been in there a few days. Unfortunately, our pond does get used as a dumping ground for people's unwanted pets."
Angler pulls piranha from pond
Press Assoc.
A feared piranha has been caught in a British pond, thousands of miles from its common habitat in South America. Angler Derek Plum, 46, caught the fish, regarded as the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world, at Radnor Park in Folkestone, Kent. The 1lb 4oz catch was identified as a red-bellied piranha, whose diet consists mainly of fish, insects and worms.
Mr Plum told the Sun newspaper: "It took about 15 minutes to reel it in. When it emerged, it was thrashing around and was going crazy. The other fishermen were yelling 'You've caught a piranha'. I couldn't believe it." The Environment Agency said it was probably placed in the pond once it became too large for its tank after being kept as a domestic pet.
Experts say that while piranhas would not survive in UK rivers, the introduction of non-native species poses a serious threat to native wildlife. Fish species commonly found in the pond include carp, tench and roach. Reaching up to 14 inches long, the piranha is mainly found in the Amazon River basin in South America and is infamous for its razor-sharp teeth and for hunting prey in packs. In shoals, the piranha ambushes its prey, stripping the flesh of large animals such as anaconda snakes or even jaguar within minutes.
Paul Foot, chairman of the Folkestone and Shepway Angling Club, said someone was seen emptying a bin into the pond the week before the piranha was caught. He said: "It's 100% kosher because our secretary, who is a professional angler, saw it. Our pond gets dumped full of goldfish and the odd koi carp because people cannot afford to keep them. It's unusual that this fish survived because the weather has been so cold.
"Someone was seen during the week emptying a bin into the pond so it's possible that it had only been in there a few days. Unfortunately, our pond does get used as a dumping ground for people's unwanted pets."
Monday, June 29, 2009
Yard-long "Megapiranha" Fossil Found
June 26, 2009--Eight to ten million years ago, South America's waters harbored a toothier, three-foot (one-meter) version of today's famed, flesh-eating piranhas.
Alberto Cione, a paleontologist at Argentina's La Plata Museum, first noticed the evidence of Megapiranha pananensis (pictured in an artist's rendering)--an upper jaw with three unusually large and pointed teeth--in his collection in the 1980s. The remains had been discovered half a century earlier in a riverside cliff in northeastern Argentina. Cione and his colleagues now report that Megapiranha bridges the evolutionary gap between modern-day piranhas and plant-eating pacu fish.
The new study appears in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. --
Anne Minard
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