How many piranhas are there in the amazon river

The researchers also observed wild piranhas forming larger shoals in shallow waters where they might be more vulnerable. Like grizzly bears, wolves, sharks, and pretty much any large scary thing with teeth, piranhas will leave you alone if you leave them alone. Black piranhas and red-bellied piranhas are considered the most dangerous and aggressive toward humans. Nonetheless, South American swimmers typically emerge from piranha-infested waters without loss of flesh.

For swimmers, the danger comes when the water level is low, prey is scarce, or you disturb its spawn buried in the riverbed—basically situations where the fish either feel really threatened or really hungry, and thus become more aggressive. For fishermen, untangling a piranha from a net or a hook is where things get dicey. In most cases , if they bite you, they only bite you once—and they usually go for the toes or feet. A study linked noise, splashing, and spilling food, fish, or blood into the river with three instances of piranha attacks on humans in Suriname.

Piranhas might be naturally attuned to pick up on the sound of fruits and nuts falling from trees and hitting the water and, thus, mistake splashing children for the noise associated with food. As for blood, it likely does not render a piranha senseless as the movies would suggest, but piranhas can smell a drop of blood in liters of water.

So, if you are a bleeding, rambunctious child, a dip in the Amazon might not be the best idea. Piranha soup is popular in the Pantanal region of Brazil, but many choose to serve the fish grilled on a banana leaf with tomatoes and limes for garnish. Helen Thompson writes about science and culture for Smithsonian. Is this the face of a cold-blooded man-eater? Here are 14 fun facts about the freshwater fish: 1.

Dated , this sketch by French explorer Francis de Castelnau depicts a red-bellied piranha. Piranhas found outside South America are usually pets on the lam Piranhas attract a certain type of pet lover, and sometimes when the fish gets too large for its aquarium said pet lover decides its much better off in the local lake.

Piranha teeth are pretty intense but replaceable Piranhas are known for their razor-sharp teeth and relentless bite. The jaw bone of a red-bellied piranha Pygocentrus nattereri specimen. Larger animals include the ocelot, capybara, jaguar and the South American tapir.

Many reptiles , as well as the amphibian species, can also be found in the Amazon region. About 2, fish species are found in the Amazon basin, with about 1, species which have not been identified making the fish population in the basin greater than any part of the world. The richness of the fish species in the basin is attributed to the large difference in the characteristics of the water in the basin.

The fish vary in form and size, with the largest being the arapaima and the smallest Paraiba. The Piranha fish is found in the Amazon basin, and they are native to this region. The Amazon basin is categorized by low-water season and the wet rainy season characterized by flooding. The climate of the basin, however, is hot and humid.

Some regions, however, experience cold winters. The average temperatures in the basin are about 25 to 30 degree Celsius. There is no distinct difference between the winter and the summers in this part of North America which make the area ideal for Piranha to inhabit.

The Amazon region has very few lakes. Most of them are formed as a result of slow-moving waters that are considered to be lakes. The Andes lakes are found at about 3,m elevation other lakes are found at the lower part of the Amazon.

Lake Valencia, for instance, is found in the Amazon basin. It is drained into the tributary of the Orinoco river which flows into the Amazon river. Lake Valencia is a freshwater lake and is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. The Orinoco river is famous for the lobe toothed Piranha which is said to amongst one of the most aggressive Piranha fish species. The river originates from the Canastra mountain ranges and is about 2, in length.

The river has more than known fish species including the pygocentrus piraya one of the largest species of Piranha. The sources of these rivers are known to be the Andes hills which do not contain salt soils. Language English. Fish life in the Amazon rivers. While things may seem relatively quiet above the water, Amazon rivers and tributaries teem with more than 3, species of fish.

Vegetarian fish? Many Amazon fish have adapted to frugivory , a diet based on fruits and seeds. About species of fish feed show this habit, more than in tropical Africa and Asia 3. This is probably due to the presence of river galleries river banks with low hanging trees , which make it easy for fish to eat fruit and seed that float on the surface of the water. Some of the vegetarian fish include the giant tambaqui Colossoma macropomum , a bass-like fish that can weigh up to 30 kg.

Its specialized, powerful teeth allow it to crush and grind hard fruit such as palm nuts and rubber tree seeds. The fat stored in the food allows the fish to survive during periods of low water, while seeds, which are swallowed but not digested, are dispersed through the river network. Feeding frenzies will be triggered when there is a shortage of food or blood in the water.

Piranhas are typically found in white-water streams. Piranha Fish are important components of their native environments. Although largely restricted to lowland waters, these fishes are widespread and inhabit diverse habitats within both lotic interactions within flowing continental waters and lentic interactions within still continental waters environments.

Some piranha species are abundant and multiple species often occur together. The piranha fish is commonly portrayed and known as a vicious species of fish hunting in large schools. This conception was created from the past belief that piranhas created schools for hunting purposes. Recent research, however, suggests that this is actually used as a defence mechanism against the piranhas natural predators.

Many animals prey upon piranhas especially young piranhas , including other piranhas, caimans, water snakes, turtles, birds, otters and people. The breeding environments of piranhas tend to be main bodies of water such as lagoons. Piranhas will change colour during spawning with the red belly Piranha fish getting more intense and the whole piranha becoming slightly lighter.

The pair will defend their spawning territory and prepare a nest not unlike the breeding behaviour of birds. The female lays clusters of eggs into a bowl shaped nest created in the sediment. These are around 4 or 5 centimetres in depth and 15 centimetres in diameter.