anyone see the report of the pirranha(sic) the guy pulled out of a river in N.C.? [url=www.wlbz2.com/news/watercooler/article.aspx?storyid=65032][/url]

I have caught some out @ Stillhouse on the lampassas river...

this is more common than you would think.

The herbivore or the carnivore Piranah?

Piranah

There is an interesting article on CNN about piranhas. Clicky

We've been there and know

I am confused. I dont understand the answers to my queston. I am asking if the Piranah being mentioned eats plants or meat?

You have been to the Amazon correct? Thought I remembered discussing it with you. I've been there and heard all about the different types of piranah.

The Piranah that was caught in NC is what I am asking about. Was it the meat eater or the plant eater?

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Despite their fearsome reputation, piranhas are wimps that gather in large shoals to protect themselves from predators, scientists said on Monday.

Rather than aggressive killers, research shows piranhas are ***** omnivorous ***** scavengers, eating mainly fish, plants and insects, Anne Magurran of Scotland's University of St Andrews said.

"Previously it was thought piranhas shoaled as it enabled them to form a cooperative hunting group. However, we have found that it is primarily a defensive behavior," she said.

Piranhas face constant attack from predators including river dolphins, caiman -- a relative of the crocodile -- and bigger fish, such as the giant piracucu.

"Their cautious behavior is crucial to avoid being eaten," Magurran said.

Her work with the Mamiraua Institute in Brazil shows how shoal sizes increase in relation to predation risk, especially when water levels in the Amazon basin are low, giving piranhas less room to escape attack.

The research is featured at the Royal Society's summer science exhibition in London. E-mail to a friend

there is a freshwater fish that is basically the herbivore sister of the piranha .. its called a pacu <sp> I've had one in a fish tank before and they look identical, except they will pass up every meat source to get to a leaf of lettuce. They thrive in local lakes when people get tired of them in fish tanks (they grow *very* fast) and I imagine alot of people catch them thinking they are piranha
The one I had, grew from about 6" long to the size of a very large dinner plate, in about 3 months.

Within the last few weeks a fellow caught a large pacu in one our local irrigation canals.

Need to put em in the Rio Grande.

THE ARTICLE ON THE ONE CAUGHT IN N.C. SAID IT WAS VERIFIED BY FISH AND GAME. IM SURE AS EVERYONE SAID IT WAS DUMPED THERE BY A OWNER THAT GREW TIRED OF IT. PRETTY IRRESPONSIBLE ACTION IF YOU ASK ME!