More than 60 injured in mass piranha attack

[Still Waters]

A mass piranha attack left sixty people injured as they enjoy a Christmas Day swim in an Argentine river.

Dozens of bathers including more than 20 children were bitten by the shoal of meat-eating fish during the surprise attack.

http://www.dailymail...s-day-swim.html

[BiffSplitkins]

on a popular beach on the Parana River

At least the river is named quite appropriately.

[Still Waters]

At least the river is named quite appropriately.

It's even got a 'Bathing Prohibited' warning sign.

[BiffSplitkins]

It's even got a 'Bathing Prohibited' warning sign.

I noticed that too. LOL

[+OverSword]

I'm doubtful of the authenticity of this story. The reason is because on the BBC series 'planet earth' the episode titled fresh water they had a heck of a time getting these things to come out for the camera and even while filming a feeding frenzy on a fish corpse the cameraman shooed them away with the wave of a hand and they never even came close to biting him. So for them to attack a large group of swimmers seems far fetched.

[Still Waters]

I'm doubtful of the authenticity of this story. The reason is because on the BBC series 'planet earth' the episode titled fresh water they had a heck of a time getting these things to come out for the camera and even while filming a feeding frenzy on a fish corpse the cameraman shooed them away with the wave of a hand and they never even came close to biting him. So for them to attack a large group of swimmers seems far fetched.

The story bogus or not has been published all over the net.

Federico Cornier, the director of emergency services in Rosario, says the incident is "not normal".

"It's normal for there to be an isolated bite or injury, but the magnitude in this case was great ... this is an exceptional event," he said.

http://www.abc.net.a...-attack/5175900

[+OverSword]

Well then let's hope they weren't swimming in the nude at least.

[Harte]

Well then let's hope they weren't swimming in the nude at least.

For sure.

There is a tiny fish there that is well-known to swim up into your urethra:

You are correct in believing that the candiru poses a hazard to humans (and other mammals that might urinate in the water). It seems attracted to the flow of urine (possibly as it resembles the stream of water from the gills of a large fish). The candiru may swim up the stream of urine and enter the urethra of a bather urinating into the river.

This, of course, not part of the fish's normal feeding behaviour - the fish has made a fatal mistake. Once up the urethra the fish can not turn nor can it move backwards because of the rear-pointing spines on its gill covers. It is locked in. The fish invariably dies and the dead fish and associated swelling of the lining of the urethra cause the urethra to become blocked. Surgery is required to remove the obstruction.

Some recent expeditions to the Amazon region have had their personnel wear cricket box type shields to protect against candiru whilst swimming in or wading through streams. Authorities in the USA are concerned that candiru might possibly escape from aquaria and populate the rivers of the southern US. For this reason the importation into parts of the USA of any member of the family Trichomycteridae is strictly prohibited.

source

Harte

[Zero Fox FK]

Go swimming in the Parana River? Brilliant idea!

After that let's go swimming in Great Wight Lake and then go skinny dipping at Cereal Kila Campsite.

[Simbi Laveau]

http://www.indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/pomppalo.html

I looked this fish up. It looks nothing like a piranha, but a large angel fish.

Fish tank angel fish are known to get very aggressive when they get larger, and they kill other fish.

That aside, the most popular area of residence for this fish, is off the coast of Florida.

Uh huh

[Sundew]

I'm doubtful of the authenticity of this story. The reason is because on the BBC series 'planet earth' the episode titled fresh water they had a heck of a time getting these things to come out for the camera and even while filming a feeding frenzy on a fish corpse the cameraman shooed them away with the wave of a hand and they never even came close to biting him. So for them to attack a large group of swimmers seems far fetched.

Piranha attacks largely depend on the food supply. In parts of S. America the forest is inundated every year and all the fish species fan out into the flooded forest. Under the flood conditions, piranha with many prey species available tend to nip off pieces of the fins or tails of victims, which grow back. However during the dry season the river recedes and the piranha become trapped in temporary ponds and lake, they exhaust the food supply and become very dangerous, attacking anything that ventures into the water. In another situation the Arapaima has been introduced to rivers systems as a food fish, it's scales are piranha proof and it has a voracious appetite, so as in the temporary lakes, piranha find themselves with little food. Well fed piranha are of little danger to humans as many television programs have shone, with people diving into river systems after pulling up several piranha on hook and line. Hungry ones are a different story. The real trick is knowing if they have eaten recently!

[Sundew]

http://www.indian-ri...h/pomppalo.html

I looked this fish up. It looks nothing like a piranha, but a large angel fish.

Fish tank angel fish are known to get very aggressive when they get larger, and they kill other fish.

That aside, the most popular area of residence for this fish, is off the coast of Florida.

Uh huh

The fish in the link is a species of jack, very likely harmless to humans, as are most jacks. As for "fish tank angel fish" do you mean freshwater ones which are a type of cichlid and a relatively docile one (but one that will eat bite sized fish), or marine species which are found all over the world in tropical and in some sub-tropical areas. Most are quite shy, they do not kill other fish, they do not get along will with their own kind beyond a male/female pair and are very territorial. Florida has several species: French, Black, Queen, Blue, Townsend and the Rock Beauty and a pygmy angel as well. None are remotely dangerous.

[Ralaman]

Its strange that a river known for piranha attacks, and named Parana River, would have random attacks by...piranha...

How odd...

[sarah snow]

It's not rocket science.

Edited December 28, 2013 by sarah snow

[Duchess Gummybuns]

"Merry Christmas, kids! Here's a dangerous piranha!"

"Thanks, DaAAUGHH!"

[jesspy]

Maybe someone baited them.