Can piranhas really eat you or has sharp teeth?

Question

ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!

Answer 1

The piranhas or pirañas are a group of carnivorous freshwater fish living in South American rivers

They are known for their sharp teeth and an aggressive appetite for meat and flesh. Locals use their teeth in tools and weapons

Piranhas can be bought as pets in some areas. They are illegal in some parts of the United States. One such place is the State of Washington. The most common by far is Pygocentrus nattereri, or the red-bellied piranha. They can either be bought fully grown or as babies no bigger than a thumbnail. It is important to keep the Pygocentrus genus of piranhas either singularly or in group of or more, since aggression amongst the group is common and distributed more widely when kept in larger groups, allowing the weaker fish to survive. It is also recommended to keep them in even-numbered groups, as they will gang up on an odd member. Any fish-based foods, available from most fish farms or stores, will do for feeding but thawed shrimp, fillets of white fish and disease free feeders are preferred. As with all fish, the young should be fed very little; overfeeding can kill them. As they get older and bigger, they will eat a good deal more. It is usually necessary to change types of food often, in order to provide a balanced diet. While feeder goldfish are the most popular choice, they contain a B vitamin inhibitor that may stunt growth and shorten the piranha's life span. Piranhas prefer a darker environment with a lot of plant cover, as they become agitated when denied appropriate cover

Answer 2

Yes they can, hence the Grim reputation, and yes they do have Razor sharp teeth, look on the bright side, the will attack an animal alot faster is they smell blood, it drives them into a feeding frenzy, so don't go swim in the Amazon on the wrong time of the month.

Oh One more thing, for the person who commented above, "there are NO Pirranhas in Africa!" they are found in South America, cousines of theres may be, like Pacus.

And Pirranhas don't grow past about 1 ft in length, but they will still attack a human, just as fast as they will attack a cow. Humans are bit smarter to know not to swim in certain areas and make sure ALL wounds are Sealed or stay on shore if you are bleeding.

Answer 3

Telluwat seems to know her stuff.
To answer your question yes and yes.
They tend to live in small social groups but when the tributarys dry up they end up in larger shoals at which point they move to the larger parts of the river and become more concentrated. Obviously at this point they'll eat anything that comes there way, and mammals falling in the water don't swim well and become a target.

I kept red bellied as a child however, due to an accident with the cat and an arowana i was forced to sell my 6 small 2in and 1 large 7 in fish, i worked in the local aquarium shop and put them in seperate tanks the large one went within minutes, so i put the net in and shooed it into the net with my hand, of course id had this from a juvinile and it was about 2yrs old.
The buyer was obviously impressed with what i'd done and i told him id never been bit having cleaned him out for years.
That was the Saturday morning, Monday evening the buyer arrived back at the shop with the said fish, it would seem he'd gone out on the Saturday got drunk gone back with his pal and proceeded to put his hand in the tank telling his pal look at how tame this fish is, needless to say the hospital was unable to save the two fingers the fish had repeatedly bitten, his state of inebriation dulling all sense of the attack.

He was a lovely fish though.

Mind you they're only one of many fish that are aggressive enough to bite a human if necessary, I was bitten on the forehead by a Pike (E.Lucius) when i was 15yrs old, swimming in a lake i pushed what i thought was a log out of the way, it turned and bit me.

AJ

Answer 4

Yes they can. They do have very sharp teeth. Although, it is common to have bathers in the water where piranhas live. They rarely go into the feeding frenzies you see on TV. It can happen, so don't go in when you have an open cut or when a woman is menstruating. Blood in the water can cause them to zero in one the source of that blood and a feeding frenzy can occur.

Answer 5

Potentially, yes, but it hardly has ever happened unless the person was unconscious in the first place. Most folks who suffer a piranha attack and die, do so because of secondary infection and lack of medical supplies (it is the Amazon). Yes, they have sharp teeth, but they are small. In the absence of food, they eat each other.

If you are considering them as aquarium fish, make sure children don't visit your home as they have been known to cause severe injury to kids. One of my more stupid aquarium friends had a whole school and his daughter lost the use of her hand for months when they got through a tendon - wife divorced him and got sole custody. Served him right.

Answer 6

Piranhas might be able to bite my pinky. Their mouth is always open, about 3/8" wide maybe 1/2". They are tough. I was watching some in the store today. They are predators. They look at me and think "how am I gonna fit that in my mouth?". It would take a school of hundreds...
They have a stare that is pretty neat. They have no fear.

Answer 7

Yes,
1 or 2 won't be able to eat you
but with 1000 of them they can pick you apart.
Be careful, and only swim with 1 or 2 piranhas at a time.
Maybe you will only lose a toe or 2.

Answer 8

They do have sharp teeth but it takes a few to actually eat someone.

Answer 9

Yes they have lots of sharp teeth and they could eat you.

Answer 10

they have very sharp teeth and they like meat - but they tend to be too small to completely devour a human... just don't leave your infant in piranha-infested waters, or swim with too many of them at a time yourself