Among the fish that intimidate humans, piranhas are in second place after sharks. Only unlike the latter, they are found in fresh water. Today they can be found not only in the distant wilds of the Amazon, but also in large Russian reservoirs.
Tyrannosaurus rival
Piranha, which in the mixed language of the Tupi-Guarani Indians is translated as "toothy fish", thanks to its sharp triangular teeth and aggressiveness, has long earned itself the fame of "fresh jaws". By the strength of the bite, it will give odds to the thunderstorm of the ocean - the white shark, at least in the ratio of power and weight of its own body. The piranha is able to close its jaws with a force 30 times its own weight, which reaches 1 kg. Only the direct ancestor of the piranhas, who lived during the Jurassic period and weighed up to 70 kg, can compete with them. The force of his bite was approximately 320 Newtons. If you take a tyrannosaur for comparison, its bite force was three times stronger, but this is when you take into account the enormous difference in weight (a tyrannosaurus could weigh up to 10 tons). Therefore, the palm tree in bite strength belongs only to piranha.
By the way, her teeth are dangerous even when the fish itself is already dead - they can snap into place like a trap.
Tiger Goliath
The most formidable fresh fish in the world is also from the "piranha family" - the tiger goliath, which lives in the Congo. One of the largest individuals was caught by the British traveler and fisherman Jeremy Wade. Its length reached one and a half meters in length, and its teeth were similar in size to those of a great white shark.
Promotional video:
A tiger goliath can grow up to 180 centimeters in length, with the usual size of a piranha - 20 cm, and gain weight up to 50 kilograms. With its natural data, the tiger goliath is not even afraid of crocodiles; if desired, it can attack a person.
Exaggerated danger?
Piranha is known for its aggressiveness, so its danger to humans is not questioned. A school of these fish is capable of leaving only one skeleton of its prey in a few seconds, without exaggeration. Thanks to its teeth, the fish can easily grab onto any prey and tear off a piece from it. Every year about 80 people suffer from piranha bites, despite the fact that only a few of them hunt warm-blooded mammals, in particular, "red" and "black".
The wounds left by piranha teeth are always serious and never heal completely. Many are left without body parts - a finger or a hand. But, in fact, to get enough, one fish needs up to 50 grams of meat. According to the latest research, their aggressiveness is also exaggerated. They do not attack everything that comes their way. Their period of bloodthirstiness falls on the spawning and dry season. In other cases, this fish is unusually cowardly, and would prefer to swim away from danger, rather than fight it. So, in the rainy season, when the water level rises by 15 meters, and the flooded forests become a real feast for piranhas, local residents calmly climb into the water. Unless, of course, they have a bleeding wound. To date, not a single case has been recorded when a piranha ate a person.
Invasion of Russia
The usual habitat of piranhas is the fresh waters of South America with water temperatures ranging from 24 to 27 degrees. But recently it was discovered that this fish has a high adaptive capacity, and can survive at much lower temperatures. So, last year, piranhas were found in the Rostov region - a fish attacked a local fisherman, biting off part of his leg. And this is not an isolated incident. Piranhas were found in Saratov and Donetsk regions, in the Irtysh River, in the Ob. And all thanks to the modern fashion among aquarium lovers to keep dangerous predators at home and release them when they get tired.