Piranha fish post. Predatory piranhas - interesting facts and care

Piranhas are dangerous and highly voracious fish. Their existence is fanned by many all kinds of frightening myths and legends, they are even heroes of horror films. It is believed that even crocodiles avoid these bloodthirsty monsters. Piranha belongs to the haracin family.

This is rather strange, since it also includes "peaceful" tetras, neons, and minors. They are similar to our carps. However, piranhas have more than 50 species and most of them are not aggressive at all and feed on algae. The size of the fish depends on their diet. So, herbivores grow up to a meter in length and weigh decently, carnivores are usually no more than 30 cm.

They are found in fresh waters South America, as a rule, this is the mouth of such rivers as the Amazon, Orinoco, La Plata. Can be seen in other bodies of water near Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia. Small colonies can be observed on the territory Mexico, USA, Europe.

Young fish are very aggressive, they go in search of prey in schools. Adults prefer solitude, hunt standing at their "post", waiting for a gape fish. The other part of the time they hide in cover.

Piranhas have the nickname "underwater wolves" because they river orderlies... Both camps are useful - herbivores clear the rivers of excess vegetation, trees that have fallen into the reservoir, carnivores remove all carrion. Where piranhas are present, the water is free of contamination and decomposition.

Fish appearance

The body of a piranha is flat, rounded, laterally compressed. The dorsal and anal fins are extended, the tail is wide, bulging eyes and large... The color depends on which species it belongs to, as well as on the nutrition. Olive-gray-green and dark blue colors predominate more often in the upper part, light piranha on the side With a silvery gray tint.

The lower fins and abdomen are mostly reddish. The tip of the tail is edged with a black line. Young fish can be distinguished from adult fish by dark spots on the sides that disappear over time.

The main hallmark are her jaws. In nature, they are not found in anyone else.

1. The length of the triangular teeth reaches 5 mm. They are lamellar, slightly bent inward, incredibly sharp. Therefore, they easily cope with the victim, tearing it apart or cutting off pieces of flesh from it. Even small sticks and bones are in the teeth.
2. The jaw is unique. When it is compressed, the upper and lower teeth go into the sinuses, creating a lot of pressure. Its action can be compared to a trap.
3. The grasping force is measured by 320 Newtons, which has no analogues in the animal kingdom. The pressure created by the closing jaws is 30 times its weight.
4. An adult can easily deprive a person of a finger. Locals who live near the piranha ponds have adapted to using their jaws with teeth like scissors, and they shave with their teeth.

Now you have an idea of ​​what a piranha looks like. The reproduction of this fish takes place by laying eggs... This period lasts from March to August. During spawning, the female lays thousands of eggs, then the male guards them.

Features of piranhas

This fish besides amazing structure jaws also differ the ability to make sounds... For example, once on land, she barks like a dog, during lunch she can demonstrate “playing the drum”, in order to scare away her own, she uses a “croak”, and when approaching another individual, the fish croaks.

Scientists have found that she gets all the variety of sounds thanks to the swim bladder, which she contracts with muscles. The sound emitted depends on the speed of their compression.

Piranha excellent hearing and smell... The victim, finding himself at a distance of more than 6 km, will no longer be saved, since it was smelled by a drop of blood.

Enemies of piranhas

This small fish is not able to frighten neither individuals exceeding it in size, nor large predators, which, however, themselves became their victims. But these fish still have enemies:

In the waters of the countries of Europe and Russia, you can increasingly find piranhas. This is not a joke of nature, but the fault of inexperienced aquarists who, having not coped with caring for the fish, decide to release it.

Europeans and Russians have nothing to fear, since fish does not live in cold waters as winter comes, they will all perish. A comfortable temperature for their stay is between 24 and 27 degrees.

Piranha is a fish that can easily adapt to new habitats. In the aquarium, she feels great, which is why many try to breed her. In this case, do not forget about taste preferences because the fish is predatory.

She needs feed properly, the diet is dominated by small fish such as sprat, capelin. Do not forget about safety precautions.

Is this predatory fish edible

This fish is very voracious. There are many stories that characterize this feature. For example, there is a known case of a pig falling into the water, when a flock in a matter of minutes gnawed it to the bone. Often the victims themselves are fishermen who want to feast on piranhas.

They are caught because fish meat is edible, resembles a perch. They are often consumed fried. Fishing takes place with a line, but the fisherman must be very careful, as the fish can cut off the finger.

So, we can conclude that piranha is necessary for a favorable ecological state nature animal, the extermination of which will lead to imbalance when there will be a great chance of outbreaks of epidemics and the occurrence of infections in water bodies.

Piranhas are one of the most famous fish in the Amazon and belong to the class Bony fish, the Characinidae family.

Fish of the piranha family (Serrasalmidae) are characterized by a laterally compressed high body.

There are several types of piranhas, the largest of which reaches 60 cm in length, weighing up to 1 kg, the common piranha is half that size.

Piranhas hunt for everything that moves in the water, they do not take anything from the bottom.

These bloodthirsty predators have powerful jaws with very sharp, cutting teeth. They are able to bite into a steel hook and tear the skin large mammal... Piranhas gather in flocks and attack the animal, dealing with it with lightning speed, for example, they gnaw an adult tapir to the bone in a minute. Attracted by splashes and movement in the water, and especially by the smell of blood, Piranhas are also dangerous for a person accidentally in the water. This small but dangerous fish is endowed with powerful muscles and a rather wide tail fin, which allows it to swim very quickly.

Young fish are very beautiful: a blue body with dark spots, a crimson chest and paired fins, a black caudal fin with a vertical blue stripe. Depending on which of the eighteen species it belongs to, the piranha can range in color from brown-green to silver-black. Adult individuals acquire a gloomy coloration: they are either completely black or studded with gold sparkles. The tips of sharp wedge-shaped teeth sticking out from slightly open thick lips give piranhas a menacing look, the number of which on the upper and lower jaws varies - 66 and 77, respectively. Probably, it was these teeth that caused the appearance of many creepy stories about the bloodthirstiness of piranhas. Still: as a result of a group attack in 10-15 seconds from the victim, for example large fish, only pieces remain. They react very strongly to blood, since this is due to their function in nature: piranhas primarily eat sick or wounded animals. For example, a drop of blood put from a pipette into a 250-liter aquarium drives the hungry piranhas into a frenzy after 30-40 seconds. Therefore, you should not find yourself in those waters where piranhas live with an open wound.

They live in the rivers and lakes of South America, including the basins of the rivers Paraguay, Amazon and Orinoco. Here piranhas gather in foam schools, and predators make massive raids on their prey. They feed on fish, amphibians, birds and mammals; herbivorous species - on aquatic plants ...

Nature has given aggressive piranhas the ability to quickly regenerate: their wounds heal literally in a matter of days, or even hours, without even leaving a trace.

The piranhas have quite peaceful relatives - colossom and metinis. Outwardly, these fish are very similar to their deadly "sisters", only they have a flatter body, without powerful muscles, and there is no protruding lower jaw. And they feed on aquatic plants. In their homeland, these fish have a reputation for being useful: by eating rapidly growing algae, they prevent the reservoir from turning into a swamp. From the teeth of piranhas, the natives make necklaces, as well as razors and saws for cutting wood.
How piranhas hunt.
The dark waters of the Amazon hide stormy life The bottom of the river is covered with layers of rotting silt, densely overgrown with plants. But a pair of large rounded fish swims to the site, free of vegetation, scaring away the various living creatures that are peacefully swimming. strange shape the head is short and blunt, with a protruding lower jaw and they are covered with small shiny scales, somewhat reminiscent of chain mail. Because of such a jaw, they are somewhat similar to bulldogs, the resemblance is completed by frequent sharp teeth. These are legendary predatory piranhas, probably well known to you from adventure films and books.
But for now, the piranhas are peaceful. One began to "cut" her teeth aquatic plants- this is a male, so he prepares a place for throwing eggs. Here the female swept out several portions of gelatinous caviar, which settled to the bottom. Piranhas guard the clutch for only one night, and by morning they leave the coveted place, leaving the fry to their fate.
A few hours later, the pair caught up with their flock, from which they fought off for spawning. And in the flock, a battle is raging - piranhas attack the caiman. He inadvertently tried to swim across the river in a deep place and was ambushed. Piranhas attack the reptile in a crowd, tear out pieces of meat, greedily eat them and again rush to the victim. Sometimes, in a fit of uncontrollable hunger and rage, they even bite each other. But also wounded, they strive to get an extra piece of caiman.
The forces of the caiman are running out, but he still tries to swim - away, away from dangerous place! The last jerk of a mighty body - but no, the strength has dried up ... Cayman slowly sinks to the bottom, and the piranhas close over him, continuing the feast.
A brilliant flock of pimelodus angels follows the piranhas, eating up the smallest remains of the predators' meal with pleasure. And the predators themselves, having eaten, leave, and for several days after that, peace and tranquility will reign in the flock of piranhas.

The genera Mylossoma is distinguished into a special subfamily, whose representatives feed on animals and plant food, Metinnis (Metynnis), which feed mainly on aquatic vegetation, and the genera Colosoma and Myleus (Colossoma, Myleus), which feed on fruits that fall into the water.

Metinnis are of great benefit, clearing water bodies of overgrown aquatic vegetation, therefore in the countries of South America they are under protection, their export is prohibited. Some of the previously exported individuals are bred in amateur and public aquariums, which fish are decorated with a pure silver color or another, brighter color - a blue body with dark large spots on the sides effectively contrasts with crimson-red breasts and fins.

These fish have long been notorious. It is believed that by right. They are murderous and bloodthirsty. Their appetite is insatiable, a flock of piranhas quickly gnaws at the carcass of a pig or ram, dexterously ripping the meat from the bones.

However, not all types of piranhas are so scary. Some of them are harmless. How to find out what awaits in muddy water rivers? The Indians have their own marks.

The victim didn't stand a chance. One had only to start up the trout and the pool, where piranhas splashed, as flocks of enemies rushed at it. Not a second passed when one of the fish plucked a whole piece from the side of the trout. This was the signal. Encouraged by the hunting instinct, six other piranhas began to pull new pieces from the body of the trout.

Already her stomach was tortured. She twitched, trying to dodge, but another squad of assassins - there were now about twenty of them - grabbed the fugitive. A cloud of blood spread in the water, mixed with scraps of viscera. The trout was no longer visible, and the furious predators were all scurrying about in the muddy water, poking their noses and the invisible outline of a fish.

Suddenly, after some half a minute, the haze passed. The piranhas calmed down. The thirst to kill subsided. Their movements slowed down. There is no trace of a trout, a fish 30 cm long.

Common piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri)

Classics of the genre: vampire and piranha

If you happen to see piranha hunting in the movies, you will not forget this nightmare scene. At the mere sight of it, ancient fears arise in the human soul. Scraps of old legends revolve in my memory: “It happened on the Rio Negro. Or to Rio San Francisco, Xingu, Araguaya ... Father fell into the water ... "

From Alfred Brem to Igor Akimushkin, books about animals are full of stories about bloodthirsty piranhas. “Very often the crocodile takes flight before wild flock these fish ... Often these fish overpower even a bull or tapir ... Dobritshofer says that two Spanish soldiers ... were attacked and torn to pieces ”(A Brem). These messages have become "classics of the genre." Every schoolboy knew from now on that the rivers of Brazil were teeming with killer fish.

Over time, schools of fish swam across from books and articles and movie theaters. Horror films about Amazonian predators include Piranha (1978), directed by Joe Dante and Piranha 2 (1981), directed by James Cameron.

Their plots are similar. A military base is located on the shore of a picturesque lake. Piranhas are raised there. By chance, predators fall into the waters of the lake and begin to eat tourists. And in general, the same "Jaws", only smaller in size, and maybe more in number.

Her name alone makes fans of these films shiver. And hardly any of the connoisseurs of creepy stories, once in Brazil, dare to go into the waters of the river if they find out that piranhas are found there.

The first reports of them began to arrive when the conquistadors reached Brazil and went deep into the forest. From these messages blood ran cold in my veins.

“Indians, wounded by cannonballs and musket bullets, fell screaming from their canoes into the river, and ferocious piranhas gnawed at them to the bone,” wrote a Spanish monk who accompanied Gonzalo Pizarro, the seeker of gold and the adventures of Gonzalo Pizarro, in 1553 during his predatory campaign and the lower reaches Amazon. (Horrified by the cruelty of the fish, the pious monk did not think that the Spaniards, who fired cannons at the Indians, were no more merciful than the piranhas.)

Since then, the reputation of these fish has been fairly intimidating. They smelled blood better than sharks. Here is what the German traveler Karl-Ferdinand Appun wrote in 1859, who visited Guyana: warm waters river, as headlong jumped out of there and retreated to the shore, because he felt a piranha bite on his thigh - just where there was a wound from a mosquito bite, scratched by me to blood.

Reading such confessions, at some point you catch yourself thinking that piranhas are the fiends of hell, who escaped from there through an oversight and are now tyrannizing people and animals. There are no more terrible creatures in the world. An awkward step into the water - and dozens of razor-sharp teeth dig into the leg. Righteous God! One skeleton remained ... Is it all true?

Golden mean: flooded forest and great dry land

"It would be naive to demonize piranhas," writes German zoologist Wolfgang Schulte, author of the recently published book Piranhas. For about 30 years he studied these tropical predators and, like no one else, knows their two-faced nature: “But it would also be naive to portray them as harmless fish, completely harmless to humans. The truth lies in the middle. "

More than 30 species of piranhas live in South America. They feed mainly on small fish, shrimp, carrion and insects.

Only a few piranhas attack warm-blooded animals: among them, for example, red and black piranhas. But these fish are quick to kill. If a young heron, having fallen out of the nest, flops awkwardly into the water, "she is surrounded by a flock of piranhas," writes V. Schulte, "and seconds later, only feathers float on the water."

Piranhas in the aquarium are having lunch

He had seen such scenes himself, although it is not easy to scrutinize the river battles meticulously. Even experts hardly distinguish between individual types of piranhas, since the color of fish changes dramatically with age.

However, the most aggressive piranhas usually feed only on carrion. “They rarely attack living mammals or humans. As a rule, this happens during the dry season, when the fish habitat is sharply narrowed and there is not enough prey. They also attack individuals with bleeding wounds, ”explains Schulte. If the attack succeeds and the victim spatters blood, all the piranhas scurrying nearby rush to her.

So, the aggressiveness of piranhas depends on the season. During the rainy season, the Amazon and Orinoco flood. The water level in them rises by about 15 meters. Rivers flood a vast area. Where a forest grew recently, boats float, and the rower, having lowered a pole into the water, can reach the crown of the tree. Where the birds sang, the fish are silent.

The flooded forests become a granary for piranhas. Their choice of food is great. Local Indians know this and, without fear, climb into the water. Even children splash in the river, scattering flocks of piranhas.

Piranha's teeth are the sharpest

Indian children swim in the piranha-infested Orinoco River

On the Orinoco fairway, teeming with "killer fish", fans of water skiing carelessly ride. Guides transporting tourists on boats do not hesitate to dive into the water, and right from under their feet tourists catch piranhas with fishing rods.

Miracles and more! Predators behave more modestly than trained lions. It's just that circus lions sometimes have an appetite.

In piranhas, the character changes when the great dry land sets in. Then the rivers turn into streams. Their level drops sharply. Everywhere you can see "lagoons" - lakes and even puddles in which fish, caimans and river dolphins who became captives. The piranhas, cut off from the river, do not have enough food - they fuss and rush.

They are now ready to bite anything that moves. Any living creatures that fell into the reservoir are immediately attacked. As soon as a cow or horse lowers its muzzle into the lake to drink, angry fish grab onto its lips - they pull out the meat in pieces. Often piranhas even kill each other.

“During a drought, no local resident would dare to swim in such a body of water,” writes Wolfgang Schulte.

Skeleton in waves of memory: the fisherman and the river

Harald Schultz, one of the best experts in the Amazon, wrote that during his 20 years in South America, he knew only seven people who were bitten by piranhas, and only one was seriously injured. It was Schultz, who lived among the Indian for a long time, who in his time came up with an anecdote, ridiculing the fears of Europeans, for whom death is hiding in the forests of the Amazon at every turn.

Until now, this anecdote wanders from one publication to another, often taken on faith.

“My father was then about 15 years old. The Indians were chasing him, and he, running away from them, jumped into a canoe, but the boat was flimsy. She turned over, and he had to start swimming. He jumped ashore, but here's the bad luck: he looks, and only a skeleton remains from him. But nothing more terrible happened to him. "

Most often, fishermen become victims of piranhas, and they themselves hunt for them. Indeed, in Brazil, piranhas are known as a delicacy. It is easy to catch them: you just need to throw a hook tied to a wire into the water (the piranha will have a bite of ordinary fishing line), and tug at them, depicting the fluttering of the victim.

Right there on the hook hangs a fish the size of a palm. If a fisherman attacks a flock of piranhas, then just have time to throw the hook: every minute you can pull out a fish.

In the passion of hunting, it is easy to turn into a victim yourself. The piranha thrown out of the water wriggles wildly and gasps for air with its teeth. By removing it from the hook, you can lose your finger. Even seemingly dead piranhas are dangerous: the fish seems to have stopped moving, but touching its teeth - the mouth will reflexively shrink, like a trap.

Red pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) herbivorous piranha

How many adventurers who reached the shores of the Amazon or its tributaries lost their fingers in the old days just because they decided to catch some fish for dinner. And so the legends were born.

Indeed, what is a piranha enemy at first glance? The fish seems ordinary-looking and even dull. Her weapon is "sheathed", but as soon as her mouth is opened, the impression changes. The mouth of the piranha is dotted with triangular, razor-sharp teeth that resemble daggers. They are positioned to fit like a zipper on your clothing.

The manner of hunting inherent in piranha is also unusual (by the way, sharks seem to behave): having stumbled upon a victim, she instantly rushes at it and cuts off a piece of meat; swallowing it, it immediately bites into the body again. Similarly, piranha attacks any prey.

Piranha species lunar metinnis (Metynnis luna Sore)

Flag Piranha (Catoprion mento)

However, the piranha itself sometimes falls into someone else's mouth. In the rivers of America, she has many enemies: large predatory fish, caimans, herons, river dolphins and freshwater turtles matamata, which are also dangerous for humans. All of them, before swallowing a piranha, try to bite it more painfully in order to check if it is still alive.

"Swallowing a live piranha is like putting a working circular saw into your stomach," notes American journalist Roy Sasser. Piranha is not the prophet Jonah, ready to patiently rest in the belly of a whale: it begins to bite and can kill the predator that caught it.

As already mentioned, the piranha has a superbly developed sense of smell - it smells blood in the water from afar. It is worth throwing the bloody bait into the water, as piranhas float from all ends of the river. However, we must not forget that the inhabitants of the Amazon and its tributaries can only rely on the sense of smell. The water in these rivers is so muddy that nothing can be seen ten centimeters away. All that remains is to sniff or listen to the prey. The sharper the sense of smell, the higher the chances of survival.

The piranha's hearing is also excellent. The wounded fish flounder desperately, generating high frequency waves. The piranhas catch them and swim towards the source of this sound.

However, piranhas cannot be called "insatiable killers" for a long time. The English zoologist Richard Fox placed 25 goldfish in a pool where two piranhas were swimming. He expected that the predators would soon kill all the victims, like wolves that entered the sheepfold.

However, piranhas killed only one goldfish for two per day, fraternally dividing it in half. They did not deal with the victims for nothing, but only killed to eat.

However, they did not want to miss the rich prey - they also did not want a school of gold fish. Therefore, on the very first day, the piranhas bit off their fins. Now helpless fish, unable to swim on their own, swayed in the water like floats - tail up, head down. They were a live food supply for the hunters. From day to day, they chose a new victim and, without haste, ate it.

Amazonian "wolves" - friends of the Indians

In their homeland, these predators are real orderlies of the rivers (remember that wolves are also called orderlies of the forest). When the rivers overflow during the rainy season and entire sections of the forest are hidden under water, many animals do not have time to escape. Thousands of corpses roll on the waves, threatening to poison all living things around with their poison and cause an epidemic. If it were not for the agility of the piranhas, eating these carcasses white to the bone, then people would die from seasonal epidemics and Brazil.

And not only seasonal! Twice a month, on a new moon and a full moon, a particularly strong ("syzygy") tide begins: the waters of the Atlantic rush into the interior of the continent, rushing up the river beds. The Amazon begins to flow backwards, spilling over from the banks.

If we consider that every second the Amazon dumps up to 200 thousand cubic meters of water into the ocean, it’s easy to imagine what wall of water is rolling back. The river flows for kilometers.

The consequences of these regular floods can be felt even 700 kilometers from the mouth of the Amazon. Small animals die from them again and again. Piranhas, like kites, clear the entire area of ​​carrion, which otherwise would rot for a long time in the water. In addition, piranhas exterminate injured and sick animals, making the populations of their victims healthy.

The pacu fish, a close relative of the piranha, is completely vegetarian - she is not a forest orderly, but a real forestry. By their powerful jaws it chews nuts, helping their nucleoli to wake up in the soil. Swimming in the flooded forest, she eats the fruits, and then, far from the place of the meal, spews seeds, spreading them, as birds do.

Recognizing the habits of piranhas, one can only remember with bitterness that at one time the authorities of Brazil, falling under the terrible charm of legends, tried once and for all to put an end to these fish and poisoned them different poisons, along the way, exterminating other inhabitants of the rivers.

Well, in the twentieth century, a person experienced the "dizziness of progress." Without hesitation, we tried in our own way to establish balance in nature, destroying natural mechanisms and each time suffering from the consequences.

The natives of South America have long learned to get along with piranhas and even made them their helpers. Many Indian tribes living along the shores of the Amazon, in the rainy season, do not bother digging a grave to bury their relatives. They drop dead body into the water, and the piranhas, born gravediggers, will leave a little of the deceased.

The Guarani Indians wrap the deceased in a net with large meshes and hang them over the side of the boat, waiting for the fish to scrape off all the flesh. Then the skeleton is decorated with feathers and honorably hidden ("buried") in one of the huts.

Black-sided piranha (Serrasalmus humeralis)

Since time immemorial, piranha jaws have replaced scissors for the Indians. Making arrows, poisoned with curare poison, the Indians cut their arrowheads with piranha teeth. In the victim's wound, such an arrow broke off, the more correctly poisoning it.

There are many legends about piranhas. Villages and rivers in Brazil are named after them. In cities, however, "piranhas" are called girls of easy virtue, ready to rob their victim clean.

Nowadays, piranhas have also begun to be found in the reservoirs of Europe and America. I remember that some tabloid newspapers reported about the appearance of "killer fish" in the Moscow region. It's all about exotic lovers who, starting unusual fish, they can, fed up with "toys", throw them directly into a nearby pond or sewer.

However, there is no need to panic. The fate of piranhas in our climate is unenviable. These thermophilic animals quickly begin to get sick and die, and they will not survive the winter in open reservoirs. And they do not look like serial killers, as we have seen.

Piranhas are small, mysterious and scary fish, which came to all aquariums in the world from the forest rivers of South America. Even the word "piranha" itself sounds threatening, because in translation from one of the South American dialects it means "toothy demon".

Piranhas are small, mysterious and scary fish that have come to all aquariums in the world from the forest rivers of South America

Piranha teeth really deserve a special mention. They are so sharp that they can literally slice off any prey, no matter how hard it is. There are cases when piranhas gnawed through iron tools. This fish has truly legendary teeth, the sharpness of which can only compete with a surgical instrument. Even a dinosaur that lived for many millions of years could feel the bites of these predators, they are so ancient.

The piranha fish is a carp fish. The length does not exceed 60 cm. The sides are strongly compressed, the teeth are wedge-shaped. There are more than 50 species, some of which are less than 15 cm in length.

The most beautiful fish from this family - the red-bellied piranha. It is found in the rivers of the Amazon. The back is dark steel, the sides are light silver, and the abdomen and hind fins are bright red. The size is quite suitable for an aquarium - up to 30 cm.

The red piranha is considered the most ferocious in its family. This species prefers to live in small flocks of no more than 20 individuals. This allows you to successfully hunt without becoming victims of predators yourself.

Gallery: piranha (25 photos)

Fish lifestyle and habitats

Piranhas live in both large and deep rivers and in small streams in Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay. They can also inhabit small hollows that are flooded with water during the rainy season. The flock usually includes no more than 30 individuals. Almost all living things are prey - snails, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, mammals, and sometimes even plants.

Let you learn a lot about piranhas Interesting Facts about their existence. This type of fish completely controls all living things that fall into the rivers that are their habitat, and local shepherds, in order to cross such a body of water, have to sacrifice one of their animals. While the predators devour him, the rest of the herd manages to cross the river. True, in order to eat, for example, a small ungulate animal, you need 150-200 fish.

Wild animals have learned to distract fish, making a special noise and paddling their paws in shallow water, making sure that a flock of piranhas swam to this place. And when this is done, the animal quickly runs to where you can calmly get drunk or cross the river.

River monsters (video)

Piranha can be kept in an aquarium, while observing certain safety measures, because this fish can cut off a piece of a finger with its sharp, scalpel-like teeth in an instant.

The most beautiful fish of this family is the red-bellied piranha.

They are picky about food, in an aquarium to their full size grow rarely and remain 10-15 cm long. Life expectancy in nature and in captivity is the same - about 10 years.

Since piranhas are in principle omnivorous in nature, they can be fed quite simply in an aquarium - fish, frozen shrimps, squid, earthworms, meat scraps, or even mice bred in vivariums. It is impossible to overfeed piranha, it is prone to obesity, and food that is not eaten by well-fed fish rots and poisons the water in the aquarium.

It is preferable to keep the animals in a separate aquarium. But there is an opinion that, observing a diet that does not allow predators to really get hungry, you can settle piranhas with fish of other breeds, for example, plekostomus or pterygoplicht. These individuals live closer to the bottom and are protected by strong shells. But here, as they say, once at a time it is not necessary: ​​a piranha can eat its neighbor, even without being very hungry.

Aquarium piranha care

It doesn't matter what kind of fish is in the aquarium: black piranhas, like red-bellied ones, should be kept in special conditions... The ratio of water to 1 individual should be at least 150 liters. Since the fish lives in small schools, at least 4 individuals, then an aquarium is needed for at least 300 liters. It should contain various subjects under which the fish could hide. Despite being a predator, the piranha can be scared too and needs shelter. Plants in an aquarium with piranhas should not be, they will eat them anyway.

Predators live only in clean water, so monitor the level of ammonia and nitrates in it daily. The water should be changed at least once a week.

Even if there are powerful filters in the aquarium, a water change is necessary, since fish nutrition consists of meat, and it tends to quickly rot, clogging environment... Long and careful observation of piranhas teaches their owner to understand the condition and needs of the fish at a glance, so you need to devote more time to your pets.

How do piranhas eat (video)

How do fish breed?

In nature, piranhas, like most river fish, there is a spawning period, then the whole flock moves along the river bed to the place where the game will be postponed. In an aquarium, things are a little different.

First, at first glance, it is very difficult to distinguish a female from a male. Only during the spawning period, the color of the male individual becomes brighter, and the female's abdomen is noticeably rounded from the eggs.

Secondly, spawning in an aquarium is possible not just in clean water with a comfortable temperature - piranha fish should form a full-fledged flock that has been living together for a long time.

Thirdly, there should be a place in the aquarium where the couple (male and female) could retire. There they begin to build a nest of sand and stones. Then the female lays eggs in the dug hole, which the male fertilizes. After that, the father of the family does not leave the nest, protecting the eggs from everything that can harm it.

Caviar hatches quickly, fry emerge from it already on the 3rd day. For another 2 days they feed from the yolk sac. Then the offspring are deposited in a separate aquarium. In this case, the male will continue to protect them and attack the owner, he will try to damage the net in order to save his fry.

Piranhas have become victims of a stereotype imposed on people by Hollywood thrillers, in fact, this is a very useful fish for the planet. She devours the weakest and sickest animals in the flock, thus purifying the gene pool of the species and making it stronger. This is very similar to the behavior of wolves in the forest - they cut off only weak animals from the herd, without touching the strong ones. With proper attention and care, these fish will live long years in the aquarium of its owner, delighting him and arousing pride and satisfaction.

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South America is famous for many wonders, including piranha fish. Piranha is translated from the language of the South American Indians as "fish-tooth". This name very accurately characterizes the fish that displays its teeth for everyone to see. This is due to the special anatomical structure jaw. The jaw muscles are very strong and the teeth are very sharp. Thanks to this, piranhas do not tear their prey in parts, but cut off pieces of meat with their sharp teeth. Piranha's teeth are very sharp and can even damage metal on occasion.

Piranhas are cannibals and happily pounce on their wounded fellow tribesmen. In general, they are extremely voracious and dangerous fish that even crocodiles fear. There are many legends and myths about their bloodthirstiness. But, fortunately, most of the piranha species are completely harmless, and only four piranha species are aggressive and can be dangerous to humans. There is even evidence of fish attacks on humans. Fortunately, none of these cases ended in death.

Piranha is a freshwater predator that is dangerous to both animals and humans. Now there are more than 20 species of these fish.

The most famous and widespread species is the common piranha. This fish has quite exotic appearance: big mouth with a protruding lower jaw, studded with sharp teeth. This gives her a rather intimidating appearance. The size of the fish is small, no more than 15 cm, occasionally there are individuals 20 cm long. But some can grow up to 50 cm in length.

Accordingly, the weight of piranhas is also small and very rarely reaches 1 kg.

Different types of piranhas differ from each other in color, but most of the fish are colored olive green, or, there is such a combination - a black and blue back, abdomen and sides are silver-gray or dark.

When hunting for fish, piranhas rely on their speed and surprise. They guard their prey in a secluded place, from where, at a convenient time, they rapidly attack. With their whole flock, they pounce on prey and devour it. Moreover, each individual acts for itself.

A surprisingly subtle sense of smell helps them to detect prey. They find blood near them immediately after it appears. The piranhas immediately attack the victim in a crowd. Fish, which have undergone such a rapid attack, begin to panic and rush in all directions, trying to save their lives. Fast piranhas catch them one at a time. They swallow small fish whole, and tear large prey to pieces. Rather, they tear off pieces of meat from large fish, which they immediately swallow, and then dig into their prey again.

In nature, piranhas gather in large flocks and spend most of their time in search of food. Although piranhas are river fish, they can be found in the sea during high water. But here they have no opportunity for spawning. Spawning usually takes place from March to August. At this time, thousands and thousands of eggs fall into reservoirs. Depending on the temperature of the water, the incubation period for eggs is 10 to 15 days.

Contrary to popular belief, adults do not form large schools. In some aquariums, when breeding piranhas, it has been noticed that piranhas keep from each other at a very decent distance. And when it was time for feeding, they together pounced on the food in a dense formation. When the feeding ended, the required distance was restored. It was also noticed that when the density of piranhas became uncomfortable for them (too high), then a fight broke out between them.

Piranhas feed mainly on fish, but they also do not disdain birds in the water. But there were no cases of people being killed.

Piranhas are very voracious, so they have to live only in rivers where fish are found in abundance. Most often they can be found in shallow water, in muddy water and at great depths.

Piranhas are common in the waters of South America. The largest populations of piranhas live in the rivers of Venezuela, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, Guyana and Central Argentina. The habitat of piranhas covers tens of millions of square kilometers. We can say that from the eastern borders of the Andes to the Atlantic itself.

The common piranha is popular in the aquarium hobby. V aquarium conditions she is shy and very careful. In nature, fish find many shelters and secluded places for themselves that they lack in an aquarium. The aquarium should have soft, slightly acidic water with a neutral reaction and good filtration. Constantly maintain normal level The presence of mangrove root driftwood in the aquarium will help the pH.

But most countries prohibit raising these fish at home. And, probably, this is correct, since there are many pranksters-owners who "for fun" like to release these fish in natural reservoirs and see what happens. As a result of such actions, the press often broadcasts about toothy monsters, which are caught either in the Vistula, or in the Volga, or elsewhere. Fortunately, it saves that winters are harsher everywhere than in the Amazon, so fish cannot adapt to such cold rivers. So piranhas live only in their native South America.