Oddly enough, piranhas - caring parents and drive everyone away from their home. 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 scary at all, but when it comes to its culinary preferences, then you should be afraid. So, meet the piranha!

"Ah-ah-ah!" The scream spread throughout the apartment. The frightened owner came running from the kitchen and saw with horror that the water in his insanely expensive aquarium had turned red, and his old friend was standing with a bitten finger. "Why did you put your hand in the aquarium? There are piranhas there!"

Piranha (piranhas) is a family of fish in the order Cyprinidae. The body is laterally compressed, high, up to 60 cm long. Powerful jaws bear sharp, wedge-shaped teeth. St. 50 species, in the fresh waters of the South. America. They are predominantly schooling predators, attack fish and other animals, and are dangerous to humans (a school of common piranhas can destroy a large animal in a few minutes). Herbivorous species clear 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 rivers South America. Young piranhas are silver-blue in color, with dark speckles, but with age they darken 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. It can easily bite a stick or finger with its teeth.

Shepherds driving herds across rivers where piranhas live have to give up one of the animals. And while the predators are dealing with the prey, away from this place the entire herd is safely transported to the other side Wild animals turned out to be no less smart than people. In order to drink water or cross a river where piranhas are found, they begin to attract the attention of predators with the noise or splashing of water. And when a flock of piranhas rush towards the noise, the animals move along the shore to a safe place, where they quickly drink or cross the river.

The quarrelsome nature of piranhas makes them often quarrel and attack each other. But some amateur aquarists, no matter what, risk keeping these fish at home. Piranhas attack everything Living being that were within their reach: large fish, domestic and wild animals in the river, humans. The alligator is trying to get out of their way.

Here it is - the famous and legendary piranha. A small fish, only about 20 cm, with a purple (in females) or blue-black (in males) color. It can also be olive-silver or bright red. Cute fish? Believe me, it's better not to deal with her. Piranhas have a reputation for being bloodthirsty fish. Just look at her strongly developed jaw with many sharp, pyramidal teeth.

The name itself is fraught with danger. The word "piranha" is borrowed from South American Indians and means "toothed demon." Indeed, their teeth are terrible. The jaw muscles are so developed that a piranha can “cut off” the smallest piece. She does not tear her prey, but cuts it piece by piece, like a surgeon with a scalpel. The teeth are very sharp, not a single thick skin provides protection. An adult piranha can easily bite a stick or a human finger. Piranha can even bite through steel. Piranhas are especially dangerous during spawning, when first a pair of fish, and later one male, guard the egg laying. The piranha family includes several species of predators, 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 widespread in fresh water bodies of South America, found almost everywhere 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 northeastern Argentina. There are also small populations of piranhas in the USA and Mexico, in Europe, Spain and other countries, where they came from amateur aquariums. Young people are more active and often gather in flocks. They constantly scour in search of food.

Adult piranhas are distinguished by their respectable behavior: most of the time they stand in their favorite place, sometimes they hide behind snags or in algae, that is, they prefer not to chase prey, but to wait for it from a shelter. Despite the fact that piranhas are predators and have a reputation as “underwater wolves,” these fish are very timid and easily go into shock when frightened. With a sudden movement, the fish turns pale and falls sideways to the bottom, after a while the fish will wake up, begin to swim as usual, and then beware, the piranha will defend itself and attack. In huge flocks they attack any prey, tearing out pieces of meat from the body of the victim, they are capable in a minute, clean a large animal down to the skeleton. These fish are attracted to splashes of water and the smell of blood. Piranhas feeding are not a pleasant sight. The water literally boils from the fish scurrying here and there. And the victim, surrounded by these predators, literally disappears before our eyes. Piranhas also act as cannibals: they can eat another piranha that is caught on a hook. Young piranhas can snatch a piece of fin from their neighbor while feeding. This is why it is very difficult to find uninjured fish - almost all of them have wounds and scars. There is not a single case known of a piranha eating a person. However, every year approximately 80 people suffer from this predator. The wounds that remain after her teeth are very serious and never fully heal.

The best thing is that after an encounter with piranhas, only a scar remains. There are many cases when, due to piranhas, a person lost one of his body parts - a finger, or even an entire arm or leg. In some countries, they tried to completely destroy piranhas. In Brazil they tried to poison it with poisons, but piranhas are very hardy. As a result, the piranhas remained unharmed, but other inhabitants of the reservoirs suffered. But piranhas cannot be destroyed also because nature needs them. Piranhas, like wolves, are orderlies - they kill the weaker, older and sick. Thus, they make the populations of their victims stronger. And if you don’t want to get hurt by piranhas, then just don’t go into the water if you know they are there.

Classification

View: Piranha – Serrasalmus nattereri

Subfamily: Piranhas

Family: Characinaceae

Squad: Characiniformes

Class: Ray-finned fish

Type: Chordata

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

Lifespan: in an aquarium - up to 15 years, in the wild - up to 10 years

As soon as you hear about the piranha fish, you immediately remember horror films, where schools of these small fish can gnaw to the bones everyone they attack: people, large and small animals, fish and marine life.

Yes, they are terrifying. But some brave souls (zoos and animal parks don’t count) keep piranhas in their homes, along with others.

They say that aquarium specimens are not as bloodthirsty as those living in the wild.

Habitat

The largest population of common piranhas (this is their official name) lives in the Amazon River, Parana, Orinoco, Essequibo, in America.

Piranhas prefer warm countries (South America) and can be found in Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela.

This monster, like , belongs to freshwater fish, and therefore residents of coastal areas can rest assured that these fish are not found in salt water.

But flocks of 20 - 30 individuals can be seen in rivers and lakes, tributaries and ponds, and even on flooded areas of land.

Important! IN Lately It has become fashionable to breed predatory fish, in particular piranhas, at home. But some careless aquarists get bored with fish. And they release them to free bread. Therefore, even in our climatic zone they can be found in bodies of water. This is evidenced by confirmed stories from victims of piranhas.

Characteristic

Piranhas are famous for their jaws; photos of the fish will be shown when the jaw approaches; they are armed with very sharp teeth in the form of plates.

Such teeth can easily tear out a piece of meat, bite off a finger and even bite through steel. But this concerns wild fish.

Piranhas reach only 20 cm in length (red-bellied piranhas can also be 33 cm long). The largest representative of the species seen in wild waters was 48 cm long

Appearance

What does piranha fish look like? The photo will show a laterally flattened fish with a dense body and a powerful tail.

It is the tail that helps develop speed and maneuverability during an attack.

• The length of the fish reaches only 20 cm (red-bellied piranhas are also found at 33 cm). The largest specimen seen in wild waters was 48 cm long.
• The weight of one fish is from 500 grams to a kilogram.
• The color of the young is pale, light gray.
• Piranhas change color as they age. Females turn purple, males become bright silver, blue-black, bright red or silver with an olive tint.
• Mature red-bellied piranhas are very beautiful: their throat, belly and rear lower fin are bright red, and they themselves are silver-steel.

The color of young piranhas is pale, light gray. As fish age, their color changes. Females turn purple, males become bright silver, blue-black, bright red or silver with an olive tint.

Key Features

The most remarkable and dangerous thing about the piranha is its teeth, located in its large mouth.

Seeing her jaws - massive, protruding, you immediately want to recoil, since such a muzzle does not evoke sympathy.

The teeth are triangular, up to 5 mm long, the lower jaw is larger than the upper.

The bite of a piranha is dangerous: the jaws close so that upper teeth fit exactly into the voids between the teeth of the lower jaw.

Important! Do not stick your fingers into the mouths of unfamiliar fish that live in both our and American reservoirs.

Nutrition

Piranhas gather in large flocks, and therefore the victim usually does not leave them alive.

Prowling through bodies of water, they eat everything living and moving.

Everything that can be snacked, chewed and swallowed goes into their food:

• plants;
• fish;
• invertebrates;
• snails;
• amphibians.

They hunt in muddy water, so it’s easier for them to swim to the prey in a flock. They love to hide in snags, pebbles, and bury themselves in mud.

Even large animals are among their victims: horses, buffalos, capybaras, birds - they can gnaw them in a minute.

And if they smell blood, they have no equal in speed, cruelty and frequency of jaw action. It turns out that the films are based on real events.

Interesting! Do you know who piranhas are afraid of? Amazonian dolphins, caimans, reptiles (anacondas, not)! They all eat piranhas if they get in their way.

We can conclude that since piranhas are so dangerous, it is easier to exterminate them than to accept their existence. But this is wrong.

Firstly, these fish are the orderlies of reservoirs (like wolves are the orderlies of the forest), since they do not hesitate to eat carrion, they support the principle natural selection: They eat the weak and sick.

And secondly, in Brazil they were poisoned once before, but the result surprised everyone.

The piranhas remained unharmed and angry, as the others water inhabitants disappeared, poisoned by poisons.

Reproduction. Spawning

At the 10th month of life, the female is already able to lay eggs.

If piranhas are very large, then they can enter the period of maturity in the second, third, or even fifth year of life.

Piranhas go to spawn in spring and until mid-summer. Female fish lay their eggs on the bottom, mainly closer to the roots of plants, in the silt, digging holes.

There may be, it’s scary to think, 50,000 eggs at a time. The eggs are large and can reach a size of 4 mm.

After a week, the embryos are already feeding on themselves, passing water with microorganisms through themselves. And after two weeks the fry appear.

Parents, protecting their offspring, circle around all the time, driving away and eating enemies.

Interesting! The fry are initially herbivorous, feeding on plankton; as they grow older, they switch to zooplankton and then to small fish.

Is it possible to keep piranhas in an aquarium with other fish?

This depends on the size of the aquarium, and on the number of plants, snags, houses where you can hide, and on the bloodthirsty fish themselves, and on their neighbors.

It happens that large fish They can swim side by side for a couple of months until one day the piranhas eat them.

There are other cases where these bloodthirsty fish peacefully coexist with other inhabitants of aquariums: singing catfish, pterygoplichths, black pacu and plecostomus.

One piranha requires an aquarium with a volume of at least 100 liters.

Accordingly, for four fish - from 300 liters or more.

It is imperative to place any objects in the aquarium in which these fish can hide.

The main requirement for piranhas to live in an aquarium is clean water.

Therefore, it is worth buying a filter and aerator. Frequent water tests to check for nitrates and ammonia and cleaning the aquarium also add trouble.

A thermometer is also needed to maintain optimal temperature at 25-28 degrees.

Important! When washing driftwood locks and filters, use water from an aquarium rather than tap water.

If in the wild piranhas eat what they can catch, then in aquariums they feed on what they are given.

Piranhas are not that picky. They eat shrimp, fish, squid, earthworms, mice, crawlies, and offal.

But the meat of mammals in their stomachs is very poorly digested and can result in obesity. They also accept ready-made fish food quite favorably.

Food for the fry: bloodworms, coretra, small fish, tubifex, tadpoles.

Aquarium piranhas are lazy creatures; they may not finish all their food.

Anything that the fish haven't eaten needs to be removed. You don't want to have to clean your aquarium of rotting food more often than necessary.

For the sake of safety while in the bosom wildlife or next to an aquarium with piranhas, you shouldn’t tempt fate and go into the water, I don’t know the ford.

Piranhas: bloodthirsty but timid creatures of the Amazon

Piranhas are familiar to us from thrillers. They pounce on their prey with lightning speed, eating it all without a trace. In fact, they themselves are afraid of some animals, such as dolphins.

Piranha is known for its aggressiveness, so its danger to humans is not in doubt. A school of these fish is capable of, without exaggeration, leaving only a skeleton of its prey in a few seconds. Thanks to its teeth, the fish can easily grab onto any prey and tear off a piece of it. Every year, approximately 80 people suffer from piranha bites, despite the fact that only a few of them hunt warm-blooded mammals, in particular the “red” and “black” ones.

The wounds left by piranha teeth are always serious and never fully heal. Many are left without body parts - a finger or a hand. But, in fact, to satisfy one fish, up to 50 grams of meat is enough. If you believe latest research, their aggressiveness is also exaggerated. They do not attack everything that comes their way. Their period of bloodthirstiness occurs during spawning and dry periods. In other cases, this fish is unusually cowardly, and would prefer to swim away from danger rather than fight it. So, during the rainy season, when the water level rises by 15 meters and the flooded forests become a real feast for piranhas, local residents calmly climb into the water. Unless, of course, they have a bleeding wound. To date, there has not been a single recorded case of a piranha eating a person.

Among the fish terrifying per person, considered the most terrible White shark. But not less chilling stories talk about a small piranha fish. According to many legends, she is able to gnaw a large animal in just half an hour. As soon as a drop of blood gets into the water, it turns into a maddened demon who rushes at everything that comes his way.

Piranha fish - the scourge of South America

Here she is - famous and legendary. A small fish, only about 20 cm, with a purple (in females) or blue-black (in males) color. It can also be olive-silver or bright red. Cute fish? Believe me, it's better not to deal with her. Piranhas have a reputation for being bloodthirsty fish. Just look at her highly developed jaw with many sharp, pyramidal teeth.

The name itself is fraught with danger. The word "piranha" is borrowed from South American Indians and means "toothed demon." Indeed, their teeth are terrible. The jaw muscles are so developed that a piranha can “cut off” the smallest piece. She does not tear her prey, but cuts it piece by piece, like a surgeon with a scalpel. The teeth are very sharp, not a single thick skin provides protection. An adult piranha can easily bite a stick or a human finger. Piranha can even bite through steel. They are especially dangerous during spawning, when first a pair of fish, and later one male, guard the egg laying.

Piranha fish: predator or not

The piranha family includes several species of predators, 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 widespread in fresh water bodies of South America, found almost everywhere 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 northeastern Argentina. There are also small populations of piranhas in the USA and Mexico, in Europe, Spain and other countries, where they came from amateur aquariums.

Young people are more active and often gather in flocks. They constantly scour in search of food. Adult individuals are distinguished by their respectable 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 a shelter.

Although - a predator and has a reputation as “underwater wolves”, these fish are very shy and easily go into shock when frightened. With a sudden movement, the fish turns pale and falls sideways to the bottom, after a while the fish will wake up, begin to swim as usual, and then beware, the piranha will defend itself and attack.

How does a piranha fish hunt?

In huge flocks they attack any prey, tearing out pieces of meat from the victim’s body; they are able to clean a large animal down to the skeleton in a minute. These fish are attracted to splashes of water and the smell of blood. Feeding predators are an unpleasant sight. The water literally boils from the fish scurrying here and there. And the victim, surrounded by these predators, literally disappears before our eyes.

Piranhas also act as cannibals: they can eat another piranha that is caught on a hook. Young piranhas can snatch a piece of fin from their neighbor while feeding. This is why it is very difficult to find uninjured fish - almost all of them have wounds and scars.

There is not a single case known of a piranha eating a person. However, every year approximately 80 people suffer from this predator. The wounds that remain after her teeth are very serious and never fully heal. The best thing is that after an encounter with piranhas, only a scar remains. There are many cases when, because of these cute fish, a person lost one of his body parts - a finger, or even an entire arm or leg.

Piranhas are monsters from horror films and scary stories, small but bloodthirsty inhabitants of the waters of the Amazon and other rivers in South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina). What do we know about them? Probably nothing. After all, all knowledge is limited to just one type - common piranha y, who earned himself notoriety.

The Piranha family includes slightly more than 60 species of fish. And, oddly enough, most of them are herbivores; they practically do not eat animal food. The size of piranhas depends on the species, carnivores generally reach 30 cm, and their vegetarian relatives can gain significant weight and grow more than one meter in length. The color also depends on the species, but is mainly silver-gray, becoming darker with age. The body shape is diamond-shaped and tall, laterally compressed. The main food for predators is a variety of piranhas that can also feed on animals or even birds that they meet along the way. For herbivorous species, the Amazon and its tributaries abound in various vegetation; these fish do not disdain nuts and seeds that fall into the water.

Jaw structure

Piranhas are characterized by an amazing structure of the jaw apparatus, which perhaps has no analogues in nature. Everything is provided in it down to the finest detail. The teeth, triangular in shape and measuring 4-5 mm, are lamellar and sharp, like a razor blade, slightly curved inward. This allows them to easily cut through the flesh of the victim, tearing off pieces of meat. In addition, the upper and lower teeth fit perfectly into the sinuses when closing the jaw, creating strong pressure. This feature allows piranhas to bite through bones. When closed, the jaws close like a trap. According to the latest research by scientists, the bite force is 320 newtons and has no analogues in the animal world. When a piranha's jaws bite, it exerts about 30 times its weight in pressure.

Where do piranhas live?

These are inhabitants of freshwater bodies of water in South America. The Amazon basin contains a fifth of the entire fresh water, this river is full of a variety of fish. Piranhas live along the entire length of the river and are the subject of many legends and stories of local residents. occupies vast territories, most of belongs to Brazil, but also to Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Piranhas also feel great in other rivers; their habitat area on the South American continent is very large.

Recently in home care and this fish has become very popular in breeding. A piranha in an aquarium will grow smaller than its typical size in natural conditions, and loses a little of its aggressiveness. Surprisingly, with such a threatening appearance, they become in conditions confined space shy and often hide in artificial shelters.

All piranha fish are combined into one family and are divided, according to zoological classification, into three subfamilies.

Myelin subfamily

Myelins are the largest group; it unites seven genera and 32 species. These are herbivores and absolutely harmless piranhas (photo). Fish eat plant foods. The color is quite varied, depending on the species. The body shape is characteristic, laterally compressed and tall. Juveniles are silver-steel in color, with to varying degrees spotting that darkens to a chocolate gray color as it grows. Sizes vary from 10 to 20 centimeters. Many representatives of this subfamily are bred in aquariums. They need a large volume of water and sufficient hiding space, as they are quite shy fish. Aquarium piranha from the myelin subfamily will thrive at a water temperature of 23-28 degrees, and the daily diet should include lettuce, cabbage, spinach, peas and other vegetables. Some species even feed on nuts in natural conditions, easily cracking them powerful jaw strong shell.

Black pacu is the brightest representative of myelin

The black pacu (or Amazon broadbodied) is the most famous representative Myelin subfamily. In addition, it is also the largest: its dimensions range from 30 centimeters to one meter or more, although it is not a predator. The color of adult individuals is quite modest, brownish-brown, but the young have a silvery color with big amount spots all over the body and bright fins. Black pacu meat has good taste qualities and is used by local residents. These are commercial piranhas. Aquarium conditions They are also quite suitable, but the size of the fish will be slightly smaller than in nature, on average about 30 centimeters, life expectancy - within 10 years or a little more. Keeping this species requires a large aquarium (from 200 liters) and good care.

Subfamily Catoprionines

This fish, similar to the common piranha and being its closest relative, mainly (60%) has plant foods, and only 40% are small fish. But it still needs to be kept separately from other fish, otherwise very small ones will be eaten, and large ones risk being left with damaged fins and partially without scales. As animal food, you can use small shrimp or fish, earthworms, and plant food - spinach leaves, lettuce, nettles and other greens.

Subfamily Serrasalmina

These are the same ruthless predators; the subfamily is represented by only one genus and 25 species. They all eat animal food: fish, animals, birds. The size of piranhas of the Serrasalmina subfamily can reach up to 80 cm in size, reaching a weight of up to 1 kg. This is a real threat to animals (not to mention fish), which can be several times larger in size, but this does not stop the piranha. The appearance of small predators is truly menacing: it protrudes significantly forward and is slightly curved upward, the eyes are bulging, and the body is characterized by a rounded flat shape. In reservoirs they prefer to stay in schools, but when attacking a prey they act independently of each other, so it cannot be said that these are close-knit group fish. Piranhas react to movement in the water, this attracts their attention. When one of them finds a victim, the others immediately flock to the spot. Moreover, there is an opinion among zoologists that piranhas are capable of making sounds, thereby transmitting information to each other. A flock of piranhas can leave an animal with only bones in a few minutes.

The information that they are able to sense blood at a considerable distance from the victim is true. Piranha fish live in troubled waters Amazons, and it is natural that they had to adapt to poor visibility conditions, as a result - well developed sense of smell. Piranhas are indeed attracted to blood, this is a signal that a prey has arrived.

In addition, they do not disdain carrion and even their sick or weakened brothers. For animals and humans real danger represent only a few species.

Common piranha

The most famous representative, around which conversations do not subside, is the Common Piranha. The length of individuals of this species can reach up to 30 centimeters, but they are generally the size of a human palm. Common piranhas (photo of the fish below) have a greenish-silver color with many dark spots throughout the body; the scales on the abdomen have a characteristic pinkish tint. They live in flocks of approximately one hundred individuals.

In recent years, ordinary piranhas have also been very popular in home keeping. Aquarium conditions help reduce aggressiveness. But you still need a separate aquarium.

Black piranha

This is another species from the Serrasalmina subfamily, very common in nature and popular in home breeding. Habitat - and Orinoco. The body shape is diamond-shaped, and the color is dark, black and silver. In young fish, the abdomen has a yellow tint. Black piranha - omnivorous predator, everything is suitable for the diet: fish, arthropods, birds or animals that accidentally fell into the water. Such indiscriminate eating led to their fairly high numbers in the waters of the Amazon. Although in terms of aggressiveness the species is inferior to the same ordinary piranha. An aquarium for such fish requires a large one, more than 300 liters. The difficulty of breeding lies in the aggressiveness of piranhas towards each other. Reproduction is possible if aquarium members of the family eat properly; if there is an abundance of animal food, they become obese, which can become a significant obstacle to the appearance of offspring. The photo shows a black piranha.

Myth one: piranhas attack humans

It is difficult to judge this clearly, since the data is very contradictory. Many scientists and zoologists who spent more than one year in the Amazon have never witnessed an attack; in addition, they themselves, exposing themselves to danger for the sake of experiment, swam in the muddy waters of the river, where a few minutes before they had caught piranhas, but there were no attacks followed.

For a long time, there was a story about a bus with local residents that drove into one of the tributaries of the Amazon, and all the passengers were literally eaten by piranhas. The story really took place in the 70s of the last century, 39 passengers died, but one managed to escape. According to eyewitnesses, the bodies of the victims were indeed badly damaged by piranhas. But it is not possible to judge whether this was an attack and whether it was the cause of death.

There are reliable sources of bites on the beaches of Argentina when the fish were the first to attack. But these were isolated cases. Zoologists explain this by the fact that piranhas, whose spawning just begins at the height of beach season, build nests in shallow water. Therefore, this behavior of fish is quite natural: they protected their offspring.

In addition, piranhas are most dangerous for humans and animals during drought periods, when the water level in rivers reaches its minimum, which affects their diet: there is less food. Locals They know about this and don’t go into the river at this time. The safest season is the rainy season, when the rivers overflow.

Myth two: piranhas attack in packs

Stories about terrible attacks the whole flock is numerous, all this is fueled by numerous feature films. In fact, large individuals do not prowl in search of prey in the river; they stand in one place, usually in shallow water. The fish waits for its prey, and as soon as this prey appears, the piranha heads towards Right place. Attracted by the noise and smell of blood, others rush there. Piranhas gather in schools not to hunt prey, but to defend themselves from the enemy - this is what many scientists believe. It would seem, who could harm them? However, even this has enemies predatory fish. Piranha, gathering in schools, defends itself from river dolphins that feed on them, and for people they are harmless and quite friendly. In addition, among natural enemies piranhas - arapaima and caimans. The first one is giant fish, which is considered practically a living fossil. Possessing amazing, super-strong scales, it represents real threat for piranha. Fish found alone instantly become victims of arapaima. Caimans are small representatives of the Crocodile order. Zoologists have noticed that as soon as the number of these caimans decreases, the number of piranhas in the river immediately increases.

Myth three: piranhas appear in Russian water bodies

Incidents did take place, but this was either the result of the behavior of careless amateurs aquarium fish, or intentional launch into a body of water. In any case, there is no need to worry. Although piranhas adapt perfectly to any conditions, the main factor for their successful existence remains the same - warm climate and water (within 24-27 degrees), which is impossible in our country.

Of course, these Piranhas are dangerous and very voracious, but still the stories about them are often overly embellished and far-fetched. The indigenous population of South America learned to coexist next to piranhas and even made them a commercial target. Nature has not created anything useless: if wolves are what they are, then piranhas perform a similar function in water bodies.