Piranhas - monsters from horror movies and scary stories, small but bloodthirsty inhabitants of the waters of the Amazon and other rivers in South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina).And what we know about them?Perhaps nothing.After all, only a limited knowledge of one species - red-bellied piranha, which has earned a bad name.
Looks like piranha fish?
family Piranha has a little more than 60 species of fish.And, oddly enough, most of them - herbivores, they practically do not eat animal food.The size depends on the type of piranhas, carnivorous generally reach 30 cm, and their relatives-vegetarians can gain considerable weight and grow more than one meter long.Coating is also dependent on the type, but is mainly silver-gray, and with age becomes darker.Rhomboid shape of the body and high, laterally compressed.The main food for the predators - a variety of freshwater fish, piranhas can eat and animals or birds, which are found along the way.For herbivorous species of the Amazon and its tributaries abound with different vegetation, do not disdain these fish and nuts and seeds that fall into the water.
jaw structure
for piranhas amazing characteristic structure of the jaw apparatus, perhaps unparalleled in nature.It is provided to all the finest details.The teeth have a triangular shape and size of 4-5 mm plate and sharp like a razor blade, slightly bent inward.This allows them to easily cut through the flesh of the victim, taking the pieces of meat.Furthermore, the upper and lower teeth come into perfect sinus when closing the jaws, creating a strong pressure.This feature allows the piranha bite bone.When you close the jaws are closed like a trap.According to recent research scientists, bite force of 320 Newtons and has no analogues in the animal world.Jaws the bite of the piranha have a pressure of about 30 times its weight.
inhabited by piranhas?
This freshwater inhabitants of South America.The Amazon basin concentrates a fifth of all the fresh water, the river is full of diverse fish.Piranhas inhabit the entire length of the river and are the subject of many legends and stories of local residents.Floodplain occupies a vast territory, a large part belongs to Brazil, but other than that, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru.Piranhas thrive in other rivers, areola of their habitat in the territory of the South American continent is very large.
Recently, home keeping and breeding has become very popular these fish.Piranha in the aquarium grow less than the size that is typical for her natural conditions, and some lose their aggressiveness.Surprisingly, with such a threatening appearance, they are in a closed space fearful and often hidden in artificial shelters.
All piranha fish combined into a single family, and divided according to the zoological classification into three subfamilies.
subfamily
myelin myelin - the largest group, it comprises seven genera and 32 species.It is absolutely harmless herbivores and piranhas (see photo).Fish feed on plant food.Coloration is varied, depending on the species.Body shape characteristic, laterally compressed and high.In young individuals coloration of silver-steel, with varying degrees of mottling, which grows dark chocolate to gray.Sizes range from 10 to 20 centimeters.Many representatives of this subfamily are bred in aquariums.They need a large volume of water and enough space to cover, as it is quite shy fish.Piranha aquarium subfamily of myelin will feel well at a water temperature of 23-28 degrees and the daily diet should include lettuce, cabbage, spinach, peas and other vegetables.Some species in the wild eat even nuts, easily splitting its powerful jaws strong shell.
Black pacu - the brightest representative of the myelin
black pacu (or Amazon shirokotel), the most famous representative of the subfamily of myelin.In addition, also the largest: its size varies from 30 centimeters to one meter or more, with all this, he did not predator.Painting of adults rather modest, brown-brown, but the young has a silver color with lots of spots all over the body and fins bright.Meat Black pacu has good taste and is used by local residents.This piranha fishing.Aquarium conditions it is also quite fit, but the size of the fish will be somewhat less than in nature, an average of about 30 centimeters, life - within 10 years or so.The content of this type requires a large tank (200 liters) and good care.
subfamily Katoprioniny
This subfamily is represented by only one species - a flag piranhas.Fish is quite harmless and are poluparazitichesky way of life, their main food - it scales of other fish, although the form of these aquatic species is quite ominous, and they are not inferior to the severity of their carnivorous brethren.Form at the diamond-shaped flag piranhas, flattened laterally.Color scales - gray-green with a silvery sheen.A distinctive feature is the presence of a red spot on the gill covers.The last rays on the anal and dorsal fin greatly elongated, while the tail - the root of black.Sizes are small, only 10-15 cm.
This fish, like a piranha common and is its closest relative, mainly the diet (60%) has a plant food, and only 40% are small fish.But keep it still necessary to separate from other fish, or will be eaten very small, and large risk being damaged part without fins and scales.As animal feed, you can use shrimp or small fish, earthworms, and plant - the leaves of spinach, lettuce, nettles and other herbs.
subfamily Serrasalminy
These are the most ruthless predators subfamily represented only one genus and 25 species.They all feed on animal food: fish, animals, birds.Size piranhas subfamily Serrasalmina can reach up to 80 cm, reaching a weight of 1 kg.This is a real threat to the animals (not to mention the fish), which in size can exceed them several times, but this does not stop the piranha.View from small predators really formidable: much lower jaw protrudes forward and slightly bent up, his eyes bulging, rounded characteristic flat shape of the body.In the waters they prefer to keep flocks, but the attack on the victim act independently of each other, so we can not say that this cohesive group of fish.Piranha react to movement in the water, it attracts their attention.When one of them is the victim immediately to the place of the remaining flock.Moreover, it is believed zoologists that piranhas produce sounds, thereby transmitting information to each other.A flock of piranhas able to leave a few minutes from some animal bones.
information that they can feel the blood at a distance from the victim, - the truth.Fish piranha live in the murky waters of the Amazon, and it is natural that they have had to adapt to the conditions of poor visibility as a result - a well-developed sense of smell.Piranhas really draws blood, it is a signal of the appearance of the victim.
In addition, they do not disdain carrion, and even their sick or weak brethren.For animals and humans are the real danger of only a few species.
red-bellied piranha
most famous representative, around which do not cease talking - this red-bellied piranha.The length of this species can reach up to 30 centimeters, but basically they are the size of a man's hand.Red-bellied piranha (fish photo below) are greenish-silvery color with a lot of dark spots all over the body, on the belly scales has a characteristic pinkish tinge.They live in flocks of about a hundred individuals.
recent years and home maintenance are very popular red-bellied piranha.Aquarium conditions contribute to a weakening of aggressiveness.But the aquarium still need separate.
Black piranha
This is another view from the subfamily Serrasalminy, very common in nature, and popular in home cultivation.Habitat - the Amazon and Orinoco.Rhomboid shape of the body, and a dark color, black and silver.Young fish belly is yellow.Black piranha - omnivorous predator in all good diet: fish, arthropods, accidentally fell into the water, birds or animals.Such indiscriminate eating habits and led to their relatively high number in the waters of the Amazon.Although aggressive look inferior to the same red-bellied piranha.Aquarium fish needed for such a large, more than 300 liters.The difficulty of breeding is piranha aggressiveness towards each other.Reproduction is possible if the aquarium of the family eat right, for the abundance of animal food, they are obese, which can be a significant impediment to the emergence of the offspring.In the photo - the black piranha.
first myth: piranhas attack a human
judge this uniquely difficult, as data are very contradictory.Many scientists and zoologists, who spent the Amazon more than a year, never witnessed the attacks, in addition, they themselves, exposing themselves to danger for the sake of the experiment, bathed in the murky waters of the river, where a few minutes before catching piranhas, but attacks are notfollowed.
a long time at the hearing was a story about the bus with the locals, who pulled off one of the tributaries of the Amazon, and all passengers were literally eaten by piranhas.The story actually took place in the 70s of the last century, 39 passengers were killed, but one managed to escape.According to eyewitnesses, the victims' bodies were indeed severely damaged piranhas.But to judge whether it was an attack and whether it is the cause of death is not possible.
There are reliable sources of bites on the beaches of Argentina, where the first attack of the fish.But these were isolated cases.Zoologists explain this by saying that piranhas spawn which begins just at the height of beach season, build nests in shallow water.So this behavior is quite natural fish: they protect their offspring.
Besides, piranhas are the most dangerous to humans and animals in times of drought, when the water level in rivers is at its minimum, which affects their diet: eating becomes smaller.The locals know about it, and into the river at this time do not go.The safest is considered the rainy season, when the rivers are filled.
Myth Two: piranha attack flocks
stories about the terrible attacks of the whole pack set, all fueled by numerous feature films.In fact, large individuals are not roam in search of prey in the river, they are standing in one place, usually in shallow water.Fish waits for its prey, and as soon as the victim appears, the piranha is sent to the right place.Attracted by the noise and the smell of blood to the rest of the flock.Piranhas are favored not to hunt for prey and for defense from the enemy - as many scientists believe.It would seem that someone may harm them?However, the enemy has even a predatory fish.Piranha, gathering in flocks, defended by river dolphins, which feed on them, and for the people they are harmless and quite friendly.Furthermore, among the natural enemies of piranhas - arapaima and caimans.The first - a giant fish, which is considered almost a living fossil.With amazing, heavy-duty scales, it represents a real threat to the piranhas.Fish encountered singly, instantly becoming a victim of arapaima.Cayman Islands - are small members of the order of crocodiles.Zoologists have noticed that as soon as the reduced number of caimans, immediately increased the number of piranha in the river.
Myth Three: piranhas appear in Russian waters
incidents actually took place to be, but it is the result of a sloppy behavior of fans of aquarium fish, or deliberately run into the pond.In any case, anxiety vain.Although piranhas and perfectly adapt to any conditions, the main factor of their successful existence remains the same - warm climate and water (within 24-27 degrees), which in our country is impossible.
course, this predatory fish.Piranhas are dangerous and very voracious, yet stories about them too often glossed over and far-fetched.The indigenous people of South America learned to coexist with piranhas and even made them a target species.Nature did not create anything useless: if the wolves - a orderlies forests, the piranhas perform similar functions in bodies of water.
