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Pygocentrus cariba or black spot piranha is a species of piranha endemic to Venezuela and Colombia; specifically, to the Orinoco River basin lowlands and the Llanos region. This species can reach a total length of 27.9 centimetres (11.0 in). It is popular as a game fish. [2]
This characteristic combined with its large size make it a danger to humans. Piranha's attacks on humans are anecdotal for the most part. The piranha mostly prefers to eat small fish and insects, along with seeds and aquatic plant material. The pygocentrus piraya plays a key role in their ecosystem by regulating the population of other fish [5]
A piranha or piraña (/ p ɪ ˈ r ɑː n j ə ˌ-r æ n /, or / p ɪ ˈ r ɑː n ə /; Portuguese: [piˈɾɐ̃ɲɐ], Spanish:) is any of a number of freshwater fish species in the family Serrasalmidae, [1] or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae [2] in order Characiformes.
The red-bellied piranha, also known as the red piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri), is a type of piranha native to South America, found in the Amazon, Paraguay, Paraná and Essequibo basins, as well as coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil. [2] [3] This fish is locally abundant in its freshwater habitat. [4]
The black piranha was first formally described in 1766 as Salmo rhombeus with the type locality given as Brokopondo on the Suriname River in Surinam. [6] When Bernard Germain de Lacépède created the genus Serrasalmus in 1803 the only species he placed in it was Salmo rhombeus , so this species is the type species of its genus. [ 7 ]
Serrasalmus geryi, known as the violet line piranha or Gery's piranha, is a species of piranha of the family Serrasalmidae. It is found in the lower Tocantins and Araguaia Rivers of Brazil . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The species is notable for being the one of only the members of the genus Serrasalmus that can coexist with others of the same species in ...
A few piranha species occasionally appear in the aquarium trade, and, in recent decades, dried specimens have been marketed as tourist souvenirs. [6] Piranhas occasionally bite and sometimes injure bathers and swimmers, but serious attacks are rare and the threat to humans has been exaggerated. [ 6 ]
Serrasalmus elongatus is a slender and elongated shaped piranha from the S. humeralis group. [1] It is commonly known as elongated piranha or pike piranha in reference to its shape. In its native range it is one of the smaller piranha species locally termed caribe pinche ("mediocre piranha"), like the iridescent piranha ( S. irritans ).