Rare piranha-like fish with 'human teeth' caught by young angler in Oklahoma

  • 📰 LiveScience
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 35 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 17%
  • Publisher: 51%

Health Health Headlines News

Health Health Latest News,Health Health Headlines

The invasive fish, known as a pacu, originates from South America and has evolved human-like gnashers to accommodate its varied diet.

A young boy in Oklahoma has caught a bizarre, piranha-like fish with eerily human-like teeth hidden behind its fishy lips.

Pacu is a name given to several species of fish in the Serrasalmidae family. They are native to South America and are closely related to piranhas, with a similar body shape to their razor-toothed cousins. Pacus enter freshwater ecosystems in the U.S. when people keep them as pets but irresponsibly release them into nearby ponds and rivers when they grow too big for their tanks, ODWC officials wrote.

Pacu poop also helps to fertilize freshwater plants and disperse their seeds, which makes them a keystone species in their native ecosystems, according to AMNH. However, like most other invasive species, pacus can have a negative impact on ecosystems they are introduced to.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 538. in HEALTH

Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines