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Piranhas will often scavenge, [9] and some species such as Serrasalmus elongatus are specialized scale-eaters, feeding primarily on scales and fins of other fish. [3] Scale- and fin-eating is more widespread among juvenile and sub-adult piranhas. [20] Piranhas lay their eggs in pits dug during the breeding season and swim around to protect them.
This fish is an omnivore, and has aggressive tendencies when hungry, stressed, or seeking live food. Like most in the Serrasalmidae family, piraya piranhas dental morphology has a major influence for their inclination toward piscivorous and herbivorous behavior [3].
Red-bellied piranhas do not stay in groups in order to pack-hunt for larger animals, but instead group for protection against predators. Foraging methods vary throughout the different stages of a piranha's life. Smaller fish will search for food during the day, while larger fish will forage at dawn, in the late afternoon, and in the early evening.
A new species of fish has been discovered in the Amazon: a piranha relative with humanlike teeth. The eye-catcher was named after a “Lord of the Rings” villain.
To emphasize the diversity of diets, authors commonly highlight the fruit- and leaf-eating pacus and the highly carnivorous piranhas. Most in the family other than piranhas are primarily herbivorous. In contrast, piranhas have been long believed to be strict carnivores. [4] Many species change diets depending on age and resource availability. [4]
There are currently four recognized species in this genus: [1] Pygocentrus cariba (Humboldt, 1821) (black spot piranha) – Orinoco river basin.; Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858 (red piranha, red-bellied piranha) – Amazon, Paraguay-Paraná-Uruguay, and Essequibo river basins, as well as various river in northeastern Brazil.
The black piranha occurs in a wide variety of habitats but the adults have a preference for the larger, deeper river channels where they normally hunt for prey either in deep stretches or in the vicinity of rapids.
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