Piranha

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

For other uses, see Piranha (disambiguation).

Piranha
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Characiformes Family: Characidae Subfamily: Serrasalminae
Genera
Catoprion Pristobrycon Pygocentrus Pygopristis Serrasalmus

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 (able to bite through a steel fishing hook or bite off a man's finger) 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.[1]

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'). It is pronounced (in IPA) /pʰiɻanʲjə/ (or /pʰɻanʲjə/), /pʰiɻaʲɲə/, or /pʰiɻanʲə/).

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.

[edit] Species

• Genus Pygocentrus (True piranhas)
  • Pygocentrus nattereri
    • Red bellied piranha (pictured below)
    • Redbelly piranha
    • Red breasted piranha
    • Red piranha
    • Common piranha
    • Pygocentrus nattereri 'Ternetzi'
    • Ternetzi piranha
    • Yellow king emperor piranha
    • Gold dust piranha
    • Yellow nattereri
    • Golden redbellied piranha
    • Yellow redbellied piranha
  • Pygocentrus cariba
    • Shoulder spot piranha
    • Cariba piranha
    • Cariba
    • Caribe
    • Black shoulder piranha
    • Orinoco piranha
    • Black eared piranha
    • Venezuelan red belly piranha
  • Pygocentrus piraya
    • Piraya
    • Piraya piranha
    • Black-tailed piranha
    • Rio São Francisco piranha
    • King emperor piranha
• Genus Serrasalmus (Pirambebas)
  • Serrasalmus altispinis
  • Serrasalmus altuvei
    • Altuvei piranha
    • "Caribe azul"
  • Serrasalmus brandtii
    • Brandtii piranha
    • Green piranha
    • "Cavaca"
  • Serrasalmus compressus
    • Compressus piranha
  • Serrasalmus eigenmanni
    • Eigenmann's piranha
  • Serrasalmus elongatus
    • Elongated piranha
    • Pike piranha
    • Pingke piranha
    • Serrasalmus pinke
    • "Caribe pinche"
  • Serrasalmus geryi
    • Gery's piranha
    • Violet line piranha
  • Serrasalmus gibbus
    • Gibbus piranha
    • Castelnau's piranha
    • "Caribe dorado"
  • Serrasalmus gouldingi
    • Goulding's piranha
    • Blue tiger piranha
  • Serrasalmus hastatus
  • Serrasalmus hollandi
    • Holland's piranha
  • Serrasalmus humeralis
    • Humeralis piranha,
  • Serrasalmus irritans
    • Iredescent piranha
    • "Caribe pinche"
  • Serrasalmus maculatus
    • Maculatus piranha
  • Serrasalmus manueli
    • Manuel's piranha
    • Green tiger piranha
    • "Caribe parguasero"
  • Serrasalmus marginatus
    • "Caribe"
  • Serrasalmus medinai
    • Medinai piranha
    • Red throat piranha
    • "Caribe"
  • Serrasalmus nalseni
    • "Caribe pintado"
  • Serrasalmus neveriensis
    • Rio Neveri piranha
    • "Caribe de Rio"
  • Serrasalmus rhombeus
    • Rhombeus piranha
    • Black piranha
    • White piranha
    • Peruvian black piranha
    • Brazilian black piranha
    • Spotted piranha
    • S. niger piranha
    • "Caribe Amarillo"
    • "Caribe ojo rojo"
  • Serrasalmus sanchezi
    • Ruby-red piranha
    • Ruby-throated diamond piranha
  • Serrasalmus serrulatus
    • "Caribe cortador"
  • Serrasalmus spilopleura
    • Spilopleura piranha
    • Gold piranha
    • Gold spilopleura
    • Ruby red piranha
    • Purple spilopleura
    • Black piranha
    • Black diamond piranha
    • Speckled piranha
    • Black-banded piranha
    • "Caribe dorado"
• Genus Pristobrycon
  • Pristobrycon aureus
    • Gold piranha
    • "Palometa"
    • "Palometa de Rio"
    • Yellow palometa
  • Pristobrycon calmoni
    • Dusky piranha
  • Pristobrycon careospinus
  • Pristobrycon maculipinnis
    • Gemarmerde piranha
  • Pristobrycon striolatus
    • "Caribito"
    • "Palometa caribe"
    • Spotted piranha
    • Scapularis piranha
• Genus Pygopristis
  • Pygopristis denticulata
    • Five-cusped piranha
    • Denticulata piranha
    • Big-toothed piranha
    • Gold piranha
    • "Caribe palometa"
    • "Caribito"
• Genus Catoprion
  • Catoprion mento
    • Wimple piranha

[edit] Other, closely related species

• Pacus
  • Colossoma bidens
    • Black pacu
    • Silver pacu
  • Colossoma brachypomus
    • Pacu
    • Common pacu
    • Red pacu
  • Colossoma macropomum:
  • Colossoma oculus
  • Colossoma orbignyanum
  • Acnodon normani
    • Sheep pacu
  • Acnodon oligacanthus
  • Ossubtus xinguensi
    • Parrot pacu
• Silver dollars
  • Metynnis altidorsalis
  • Metynnis argenteus
    • Silver dollar
  • Metynnis fasciatus
    • Striped silver dollar
  • Metynnis guaporensis
  • Metynnis hypsauchen
    • Schreitmüller's silver dollar
    • Striped silver dollar
  • Metynnis lippincottianus
    • Spotted silver dollar
  • Metynnis luna
    • Red-spot silver dollar
  • Metynnis maculatus
    • Speckled silver dollar
  • Metynnis mola
  • Metynnis otuquensis
  • Myleus rubripinnis
    • Red hook silver dollar
  • Myleus schomburgki
    • Black-barred silver dollar
  • Mylossoma duriventre
    • Silver mylossoma
    • Hard-bellied silver dollar

Pygocentrus nattereri

Pygocentrus nattereri

Serrasalmus manueli

[edit] References

• Frank Magallanes URL: Oregon Piranha Exotic Fish Exhibit
• FishBase as of 2004-03-24
• Eric J. Lyman: Piranha meat could take a bite out of what ails you, Houston Chronicle, July 17, 1998
• "Characidae." ITIS Standard Report. (Integrated Taxonomic Information System: National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., 2004-10-13). URL: ITIS 162848
• Fahrenthold, David A.: In River of Many Aliens, Snakehead Looms as Threat, The Washington Post, May 29, 2005.
• "Family Characidae - Characins." FishBase. ed. Froese, R. and D. Pauly (08/2004), URL: Characidae

[edit] External links

• http://www.piranha-cove.com/
• http://www.piranha-fury.com/
• http://www.massiveaggression.com/
• http://www.piranha-info.com/
• http://www.fishpost.com/piranha.html/
• How to keep a piranha
• Piranhas not strictly carnivorous, says study
• Red piranha (Serrasalmus nattereri) facts - Wild Animals Online encyclopedia