Red Bellied Piranha

Our Piranha’s would give you a fish pedicure that you won’t forget.

Piranhas are fresh water fish found in South America and have a reputation for being ferocious. The name, inspired by the piranhas’ razor-sharp triangular teeth, comes from the Portuguese piro for ‘fish’ and sainha for ‘tooth’.

Of the 70 different species of piranha only 3 are known to potentially caused injury and even death. At Deep Sea World you are able to see the Red Bellied Piranha. These can be deadly, mainly during the dry seasons in the Rainforests where the shoals are concentrated into shallow pools and low rivers.

Piranhas have very good hearing. In the wild, the sound of splashing (potentially from a struggling animal), or the presence of blood in the water triggers them to start looking for food. With a special line of sensors down the sides of their bodies, they can pick up changes in water pressure, currents and the movements of other animals in the water.

This species has even been known to turn on each other when food becomes so scarce. Due to the size of shoals they can reduce a wounded crocodile to a skeleton in seconds. However some Piranha are vegetarian or omnivorous, feeding off fallen fruit and seeds from overhanging branches.