In a piranha attack in the Brazilian Amazon, eight swimmers were bitten and taken to hospital. Piranhas have always been known for their ferocity, which has sparked public discussion about whether piranhas can actually eat people. So, do piranhas really eat people? Live experiments and scientific research reveal the truth.
First of all, the piranha is not its actual name, but among the species found in Japan, a ferocious freshwater fish commonly found in the Amazon basin of South America, its Latin name is Pirhana (pinyin "Pirania").
There are more than 30 known species of piranhas, and different species pose different threats to humans. Piranhas resemble salmon in appearance, with a strong head and sharp teeth. They usually live in freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, ponds, etc., but they do not get nutrients in the same way as other fish, they mainly feed on the fat of other animals, such as birds, reptiles, small mammals, etc.
People's perception of piranhas often comes from their mouths and teeth, and piranhas' powerful chewing ability and sharp teeth are their hunting weapons. But do piranhas eat people? The answer is uncertainty. The evolutionary history and behavioral habits of piranhas have led to conflicts between humans and piranhas, but there is still insufficient scientific evidence for whether piranhas actually actively attack humans.
According to researchers' observations and long-term studies, piranhas mainly attack injured or weakened animals, and they rarely actively attack humans. When humans enter their territory or are injured, it stimulates their predatory instincts and aggravates the conflict between humans and piranhas. On the other hand, due to the vast area of water sources in the Amazon basin, piranhas have a low incidence outside the ocean and human concentration areas, and they are also far from humans.
Another live-action experiment supports this argument. In 2012, a case in the United States called Monster Fish vs. Piranha Piranhas), a documentary space show, a field test. The experiment hired 24 volunteers for a 3-day field test in a river in the Peruvian Amazon. Volunteers walked hundreds of piranhas around them without shields or protective gear. The results showed that piranhas do not actively attack humans in the absence of obvious threats or indiscriminate attacks on humans.
However, piranhas, as freshwater fish, need oxygenated waters to survive, so in the event of floods or dry waters, their territorial range changes and the likelihood of encounters with humans increases. In addition, due to the rapid reproduction rate of piranhas, the number of piranhas will increase in the case of water pollution and habitat destruction, and the probability of conflict with humans will also increase.
In addition, piranhas' attacks are also different from those traditionally imagined. They do not cause their opponents to bleed to death by biting off limbs, but quickly grab pieces of meat through rapid successive cuts with ultra-sharp teeth. Experiments by a researcher in South Africa showed that when the meat is led to the fish, the piranha can attack at a speed of 16 meters per second, and can bite 3 times in a row within 0.01 seconds, which is comparable to the weapon level.
In conclusion, although piranhas impress because of their sharp teeth and ferocious form, there is currently insufficient evidence that they actually eat people. Scientists' research and real-life experiments also prove that conflicts between humans and piranhas can occur only in specific fields and conditions. At the same time, human beings should raise awareness of environmental protection and effectively protect the ecological environment of the Amazon River Basin to reduce conflicts with piranhas and other wild animals.
On the other hand, piranhas are also regarded as one of the food fish that can be farmed, and some countries have also exploited it as a tourism resource. In such a complex context, scientists need to conduct further research to determine the guidelines and regulations that need to be followed for piranha contact with humans to ensure human safety and health, protect these ferocious species, and help achieve harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
In summary, although the fierce image and survival habits of piranhas are impressive, scientific evidence and real human experiments show that piranhas do not actively attack humans, and conflicts between humans and piranhas will occur only in specific circumstances. In the future, scientists need to continue to carry out research to better manage and protect the ecology and human safety of piranhas, and play a more active role in realizing the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.