An aggressive fish, the piranha feeds in packs and attacks with incredible ferocity. A school rushes prey and tears away flesh from the live victim. Piranhas can strip a large animal down to the bone in just minutes.
Rippers: The triangular teeth are not only razor sharp, but they interlock to give the fish a deadly hold on prey.
Nose for Blood: The fish's large nasal pits lead to sensors that piranhas use to detect the slightest trace of blood in the water.
Attack Speed: Wide and muscular, the tail drives the fish rapidly through the water as it zeroes in on prey.
Death Squad[]
Piranhas travel in schools (left) of 100 or more. When such huge numbers are on the attack, the water boils with blood from the feeding frenzy. Piranhas don't always attack live prey. They will feed just as fiercely on carrion (dead animals) in the water.
Not Me, Stupid! The fish can become so crazed when feeding that they will sometimes bite each other with deadly results.
A Taste for People: Piranhas will definitely attack people. It's believed that more than 300 people were eaten alive when a boat capsized in the Amazon River in Brazil in 1981.
Dead in the Water[]
- A wounded capybara, the world's largest rodent, staggers into the water after surviving an attack by a jaguar. But when it starts swiming, piranhas sense the victim's blood and go on the attack.
- Almost instantly, the water is a bloody whirlpool as the poor capybara sinks below the surface, its body torn to pieces by the deadly fish. Only a skeleton picked clean will be left.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- Piranha's trading card is one of the five to contain multiples of the featured creature, along with Army Ant, Fire Ant, Killer Bee, and Scabies Mite.
- It is the only one to not be an invertebrate, and is the only one in Nightmares of Nature.
- The image of the piranha in front of the school on the back is shared with the Wildlife Explorer series.
- The piranha is mentioned as a relative of the Tiger Fish on the latter's knowledge and trading cards.
- The piranha is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Odd Creature Out on Monster Mania 7.
- It is later featured in Killer Smiles on Monster Mania 10.
- The piranhas' trading card is featured on Monster Mania 21.
- The piranha is once again featured in Big Fish on Monster Mania 39.
- The piranha is one of few creatures to have three subheadings on the front, along with Archaeopteryx, Green Anaconda, Coyote and Impala.