For the armoured vehicle, see Piranha vehicle

The piranha or piraña (pronounced (in IPA) is a carnivorous freshwater fish living in South American rivers. It belongs to the family of serrasalmus and Pygocentrus . They are normally about 15 to 25 cm long (6 to 10 inches) long, 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. The flesh-eating variety are only known to live in the Amazonian and Paraguayan river systems.

Piranhas pose no threat to humans, and human attacks are extremely seldom. Natives frequently swim in piranha infested water without attacks or scratches. It is not recommended to swim where piranha live in drought season because of increased aggressiveness caused by less food availability.

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'. Alternately, it may come from Tupi 'pirá' ('fish') and 'ánha' ('cut').

In the Maroni river in French Guyana a large kind, weighing up to five kilograms, can be found; it seems to be an herbivore. This species hosts colonies of worms in its stomach.

External links

• http://www.angelfire.com/biz/piranha038/About_the_Genera.html

References

• "Characidae." ITIS Standard Report. (Integrated Taxonomic Information System: National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., 2004-10-13). URL: ITIS 162848
• "Family Characidae - Characins." FishBase. ed. Froese, R. and D. Pauly (08/2004), URL: Characidae