When was the piranha discovered

Predators like Caiman, birds, and Dolphins eat Piranhas. Scientists have discovered Megapiranha skeletons in what is now Argentina.

Are Piranhas World Travelers? But in our globalized age, it seems that some of these toothy fish have begun to travel the globe.

Scientists have recently discovered Piranhas happily living in Bangladesh and China! Attacks on humans are very rare. The red-bellied piranha is considered one of the more dangerous and aggressive species of piranha, according to the Animal Diversity Web. Generally, when red-bellied piranhas are feeding normally, the fish will spread out, and a scout will signal when a food source is found.

When alerted, piranhas are very orderly. Some of the fish will take a bite and then move aside so another fish can take a bite. Just one red-bellied piranha can eat around 2. Wimpel piranhas Catoprion mento are very sneaky. They have been observed swimming very quickly toward a target and biting hard as they collide.

They will nip bits of fins and scales from other fishes to survive, according to Seriously Fish. Female piranhas lay thousands of eggs at a time in the sand below the water source where they live. The red-bellied piranha female, for example, lays her eggs in a nest that is dug by her mate. After the male fertilizes the eggs, they attach to plants at the bottom of the water source and hatch within just a few days. Piranhas live up to eight years. The piranha's conservation status has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

They are not currently considered endangered. Piranhas commonly grow to 12 inches in length and weigh less than two pounds, but have been reported to grow up to 16 inches and over 7 pounds. Piranhas are not currently found in California or elsewhere in the United States. One piranha was captured in a pond in Riverside County, California in ; the pond was subsequently drained and no additional piranhas were found.

Two piranhas were reported and one collected in a park pond in Santa Barbara County, California in , however experts suggest that these fish may have actually been pacu. Piranhas have been reported or collected in several states across the U.

Piranhas have been eradicated in Florida waterbodies on three occasions in , , and Piranhas are native to the central and southern river systems of South America, where they inhabit tropical rivers and streams and are often found in murky water.

When collected in the United States they have been found in ponds, lakes, rivers, and borrow pits. Studies suggest piranhas may be able to overwinter and persist in the waters of southern California, if introduced, as water temperatures in the region are comparable to conditions found in the southernmost areas of their native range.

Piranhas are popular aquarium fish; the most common species in the pet trade is the red-bellied piranha Pygocentrus nattereri.