In our recent post on Cymothoa exigua - the tongue-replacing parasite (http://on.fb.me/W5wKrx)
- many subscribers expressed doubt. However, this wasn't at the
parasite (as we'd partly expected), but skepticism regarding a fish with
human-like teeth. With that in mind, we'd like to introduce you to pacu
fish.
A relative of the piranha (they both belong to the order Characiformes, as do several oth
er
fish species with teeth), the name "pacu" typically refers to nine
genera. The fish of these genera are similar in body, diet and
behaviour. Pacu do bear some resemblance to their piranha relatives but
can grow much larger, sometimes almost weighing 25kg/55lb and reaching
88cm/35 inches. Though pacu are native to the South America
(particularly the Amazon), in the 1990s more than 1400 red-bellied pacu
were released into the waters of Papua New Guinea to boost fisheries - a
move that seems to have backfired, as locals blame these imported pacu
for the disappearance of the tilapia fish.
Pacu subsist on a
diet of insects, snails, aquatic plants, fruit and nuts. They have an
important role dispersing the seeds of their main food, the fruit of the
palm Bactris glaucescens. Their teeth are ideally suited for a diet of
nuts and fruit (it's no accident they resemble ours) though they can
deliver a nasty bite if they want. There have been a couple of reports
of them castrating men, though these reports must be taken with a pinch
of salt since they could not be accurately verified. Even if these
reports are true, it should be noted pacu bites are uncommon.
Photo credit: Julia Dorn/National Geographic Channel.
http://
http://www.unisinos.br/
http://animal.discovery.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
In our recent post on Cymothoa exigua - the tongue-replacing parasite (http://on.fb.me/W5wKrx)
- many subscribers expressed doubt. However, this wasn't at the
parasite (as we'd partly expected), but skepticism regarding a fish with
human-like teeth. With that in mind, we'd like to introduce you to pacu
fish.
A relative of the piranha (they both belong to the order Characiformes, as do several oth
A relative of the piranha (they both belong to the order Characiformes, as do several oth
er
fish species with teeth), the name "pacu" typically refers to nine
genera. The fish of these genera are similar in body, diet and
behaviour. Pacu do bear some resemblance to their piranha relatives but
can grow much larger, sometimes almost weighing 25kg/55lb and reaching
88cm/35 inches. Though pacu are native to the South America
(particularly the Amazon), in the 1990s more than 1400 red-bellied pacu
were released into the waters of Papua New Guinea to boost fisheries - a
move that seems to have backfired, as locals blame these imported pacu
for the disappearance of the tilapia fish.
Pacu subsist on a diet of insects, snails, aquatic plants, fruit and nuts. They have an important role dispersing the seeds of their main food, the fruit of the palm Bactris glaucescens. Their teeth are ideally suited for a diet of nuts and fruit (it's no accident they resemble ours) though they can deliver a nasty bite if they want. There have been a couple of reports of them castrating men, though these reports must be taken with a pinch of salt since they could not be accurately verified. Even if these reports are true, it should be noted pacu bites are uncommon.
Photo credit: Julia Dorn/National Geographic Channel.
http://
http://www.unisinos.br/
http://animal.discovery.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Pacu subsist on a diet of insects, snails, aquatic plants, fruit and nuts. They have an important role dispersing the seeds of their main food, the fruit of the palm Bactris glaucescens. Their teeth are ideally suited for a diet of nuts and fruit (it's no accident they resemble ours) though they can deliver a nasty bite if they want. There have been a couple of reports of them castrating men, though these reports must be taken with a pinch of salt since they could not be accurately verified. Even if these reports are true, it should be noted pacu bites are uncommon.
Photo credit: Julia Dorn/National Geographic Channel.
http://
http://www.unisinos.br/
http://animal.discovery.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
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