Looks like it was this piranha’s lucky day.
Typically out in the wild, crocodiles and caimans look at piranhas as prey due to their much larger size.
So, needless to say when a piranha sees a caiman carcass, it’s going to take advantage of a rare opportunity.
That’s exactly what happened in this video.
A few lucky individuals got to witness the incredibly rare scene of a piranha consuming the carcass, and was making pretty good work of it. This piranha couldn’t pass up on a golden opportunity for a feast, and that’s exactly what it did.
Piranhas thrive in warm, freshwater habitats, and are typically found in river systems of central and southern South America.
Check it out:
South American Piranha Caught In Louisiana Lake
An unlikely resident with a lot of teeth and big appetite was recently uncovered in a Louisiana lake.
And no, not an alligator..
A red-bellied piranha native to the Amazon River basin.
The fish was caught in University Lake near the campus of Louisiana State University.
Red piranhas are typically about 4-8 inches long, however they can grow up to a foot long and tip the scales at more than 4-pounds. Unlike most freshwater fish, piranhas have razor sharp teeth more similar to saltwater fish as opposed to other fresh water predators like pike, walleye, or muskie who rounded teeth.
The fish in the wild eats pieces bitten off larger fish, whole small fish, insects and also some aquatic vegetation.
While the fish are ferocious, they’re typically found in large schools in their native waters and they rely on swarming as a group to devour their prey. A single piranha presents very little danger to a human. The fish are illegal to possess in the state, and authorities are currently investigating where the fish came from and whether or not any more of them are present.
Because the species could theoretically thrive in the climate conditions and habitat found in the southern U.S., the sale and possession of the fish is banned in many states to prevent the pet trade from accidentally establishing wild populations of the fish.
According to Outdoor Life, piranhas have previously been caught in other states, including Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Florida though breeding populations are not believed to be established in those states.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is leading the investigation, and indicated they believe the fish was a pet that was set free into the lake.
As buzz about the fish started to make more noise on online, the department also issued a press release to remind people of the realities of piranhas and to ask anyone who may catch another piranha nearby to alert them.
“While their reputation in popular culture labels them as a vicious predator, piranhas are more likely to scavenge for dead or dying prey, including fish or crustaceans,” the press release said.
“If you have information, or if you think you caught a piranha, please do not return it to the water.”
If you have information on the origin of this particular piranha, or happen to catch a piranha in Louisiana please contact the states aquatic invasive species hotline at 225-765-3977 or [email protected].
Oklahoma Kid Catches Piranha-Like Fish (With Human-Like Teeth) In Neighborhood Pond
The possibilities are endless when you have the imagination of a child, so though this kid caught a fish native to another continent that appeared to have human teeth, it was probably just another day of Oklahoma pond fishing for him.
A stout red-bellied Pacu was reeled in by young fisherman Charlie Clinton while he was fishing in a neighborhood pond this past weekend. One of his parents clearly knew that something wasn’t right once they pulled the fish out of the water, but Charlie was just happy to rip another lip.
Red-bellied Pacu fish are very closely related to the Red Piranha, which explains why the teeth of the fish don’t exactly resemble the usual set of chompers we see on fish common to the United States.
Pictures of the weird looking fish were snapped and then sent to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife conservation, who quickly put together a post about the catch, saying:
“A young angler, Charlie Clinton, was fishing in a neighborhood pond over the weekend when he got an unusual bite. Charlie reeled in what turned out to be a Pacu, which is a South American fish closely related to Piranha.
Pacu have been caught in a few fisheries in Oklahoma before. Non-native pacu in Oklahoma waters are most likely the result of individuals buying them as pets, and releasing them when they outgrow their tank.”
Classic lazy American thing to do: buy an exotic pet, the thing gets to big and too troublesome to take care of, so then you release it into the wild so someone else can deal with it. Have people never heard of the term “invasive species?”
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation went on in their post to explain more about the Pacu that somehow made its way into an Oklahoma pond:
“These fish are generally harmless to humans, but the practice of dumping unwanted pets in waterways can be incredibly harmful to native wildlife. Pacu can reach sizes up to 3.5 feet and 88 pounds!
They are an exotic, invasive species that can cause damage to our local ecosystems. Anglers who catch Pacu in Oklahoma are asked to remove them from the watershed and contact their local game warden.”
They also posted a really funny thing on Twitter calling out the unknown perpetrator that released the fish into the water:
I don’t know about you, but those teeth are very unsettling to me…
Thankfully, the young fisherman helped to remove the fish from the water and acted as a hero for all the other fish and organisms who call that pond home.
The ODWC finished out their post on Facebook by thanking Charlie Clinton for his acts:
“As for Charlie, we’re told you can find him back at the pond on the grind for his next great catch. We wish you luck and tight lines, Charlie!”
