Interesting piranha facts

June 25, 2010 | In: Animal facts for kids



Few fish inspire fear, but taking a dip in a piranha-infested river is probably high on most people’s must-avoid list.

The piranha is a vicious and voracious fish, with strong bear-trap jaws and razor-sharp teeth. Although piranha primarily feed on other fish, they are attracted to the blood and struggling of wounded animals.

They can detect vibrations in the water, such as splashing, and have an excellent sense of hearing and smell.

Local farmers are rumored to sacrifice old or injured cattle to ensure that the rest of their animals make it safely across a piranha-filled river.

Piranha have even been known to take bites out of one another, especially during a feeding frenzy.

These deadly fish are an important food source to residents of South America’s Amazon River basin, and it is safe to say that far more piranha have been eaten by people than people have been eaten, or even injured, by piranha.

Many aquarium enthusiasts even keep piranha as pets.


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2 Responses to Interesting piranha facts

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Interesting facts

June 26th, 2010 at 8:26 am

There are between 30 and 40 species of piranha, and not all are strictly carnivorous. In fact, some consume large quantities of seeds.

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bridget

March 21st, 2012 at 6:50 pm

I had to do a rerport on piranhas for my collage animal class. This website was a big help for the fun facts part on my essay. One thing you could add though is that a piranhas mother may eat her babies if hungry enough. Talk about being mean and having a BIG punshment. Hahahahaha

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