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Did you know that there are at least twenty-five different kinds of piranhas? Most have deep flat bodies, range in color from olive green to blue black, and have red orange bellies. The most dangerous of the species have large very sharp teeth, the upper and lower set which fit perfectly together. These remarkable fishes have other characteristics which enhance their biting ability. Their lower jaws are sturdy and they swing shut at an angle that gives maximum leverage. Their deep flat bodies which offer resistance when swung sideways through the water add to the leverage.
Incredibly large muscles are attached to the jaws. The muscles are so sturdy that when you that when you look down a large specimens throat it barely looks like enough room to swallow. When the fish clamps down on a victim it grabs firmly and twists its body violently until a piece is torn loose. In a word, the piranha is the most efficient biting machine. Every body part seems to make a contribution to this function.
Fishing for the piranha in the Guyana's upper Abary River can be very exciting but very dangerous. The author of Unusual Aquarium Fishes, Alan Mark Fletcher, was using special heavy shared steel fish hooks and twice piranhas bit completely through the strong fish hooks. A man with a pair of pliers would have a hard time snipping through the heavy shared hooks. This author has taken many daring risks such as having himself photographed holding a live piranha in the exact spot where it had just been caught. While in some places the piranha are extremely dangerous, in others its quite harmless most of the time.
In the upper Amazon River, Indian children swim and play in the waters that teems with the fish. Yet in Guyana's Abary River one takes a great risk to place his hands in the water. Some species of the piranha family, called the Candiru, attach themselves by means of suction, for which their mouths are adapted. They fasten themselves on their victim and then painlessly cut the skin and gorge themselves in its blood.
Any of the fish brought to the market at Manaos often show many wounds inflicted by the piranha. Below the first fall in the Material River, it is difficult to take a catfish which has not been bitten several times by the piranha. The vicious nature of this specie is becoming legendary. There are numerous accounts of savage attacks on animals such as cattle being reduced to bones in seconds by a school of piranhas. At the present time there are many piranhas in the United States. Most pet stores believe they are lacking something if they do not " keep one of the monsters. " This has led to the import of many of these bloodthirsty fellows and much has been learned about handling them.
Most dealers have a hard time with this vicious specie because piranhas can destroy the best of usual nets. A special net must be used, such as one made of plastic materials, when handling these fish. These fish must be shipped separately or they will surely tear each other apart. This is in direct contrast to their natural schooling. Most dealers feed the piranha their dead fishes. As they pull them out of the tank they merely throw them into the piranhas tank and in a short time they disappear.
Some Aquarists have put their hands in the piranha tank without any bad consequences, but this is not recommended. My interest in piranhas come from having one as a pet, while I enjoy it I have a great deal of respect for it and handle it with caution.
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Research essay sample on Deep Flat Bodies Fish Hooks Piranha
