Real facts of the PIRANHA

The piranhas or pirañas are a group of carnivorous freshwater fish living in South American rivers. They belong to five genera of the subfamily of Serrasalminae (which also includes closely related herbivorous fish including pacus and silver dollars). They are normally about 15 to 25 cm long (6 to 10 inches), although reportedly individuals have been found up to 40 cm in length. They are known for their sharp teeth and an aggressive appetite for meat and flesh. Locals use their teeth in tools and weapons. They are normally found only in the Amazonian, Guianas and Paraguayan river systems. However, piranha (most likely former aquarium-dwellers) are also occasionally found in the Potomac River, but they typically do not survive the cold winters of that region.

Recent research on Serrasalmus aff. brandtii and Pygocentrus nattereri in Viana Lake, which is formed during the wet season when the Rio Pindare (a tributary of the Rio Mearim) floods, has shown that these species eat vegetable matter at some stages in their life; they are not strictly carnivorous fish.

They are a popular food fish also, though if a specimen is caught on hook and line it may be attacked by other piranhas.

The name piranha may come from a hybrid language composed of Tupi-Guarani languages; it may be a compound word made of the components 'pirá', meaning 'fish', and 'sanha' or 'ranha', meaning 'tooth'. In Tupi, inalienably possessed nouns take the prefix 't-', 's-', or 'r-' depending on the possessor, or zero in combination; thus 'pirá'+'anha'. Alternatively, it may come from Tupi 'pirá' ('fish') and 'ánha' ('cut').

In the Maroni River in Suriname/French Guiana a large kind, weighing up to five kilograms, can be found; it seems to be a herbivore. This species hosts colonies of worms in its stomach.
Piranhas can be bought as pets. They can normally be bought as babies that are no older than a few weeks and no bigger than a thumbnail, but they can also be bought fully grown, though it will cost quite a bit more. To feed the Piranhas, any fish based foods will do, which can be bought from any good fish farm/store. When getting piranhas as babies you first start feeding them as little as possible as if you over feed they will die. As they get older and bigger they will eat alot more, but make sure when feeding them you give them something different every day, as if you feed them the same thing everyday when you do come to feed them something different they will not eat it and they become very fussy with their food. So make sure you buy loads of different sorts of food and change it everyday.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piranha

done by zhan quan