Penis-Biting Fish May Be Invading Denmark
2 posters
Page 1 of 1
Penis-Biting Fish May Be Invading Denmark
Danish skinny-dippers beware: A piranha cousin rumored to go after testicles might be invading brackish waters near Copenhagen.
On Aug. 4, local fisherman Einar Lindgreen was going through his catch after fishing in the Oresund, the strait between Denmark and Sweden. Besides the eels and perch, Lindgreen also netted an exotic fish suspected to be a red-bellied pacu, which is native to the Amazon and has uncannily human-looking teeth.
"It's the first time this species has been caught in the wild in Scandinavia," fish expert Peter Rask Møller of the University of Copenhagen said in a statement. "Discovering whether this fish is a lone wanderer or a new invasive species will be very exciting. And a bit scary." [Photos: The Freakiest-Looking Fish]
The toothy South American fish has crept into lakes and rivers far outside its native range, likely after getting loose from aquariums and fish farms. Though its teeth are used mainly to crush nuts and fruits, the pacu eats other fish and invertebrates and there have been some reports of human attacks. In Papua New Guinea, the invasive species has reportedly earned a reputation as the "ball-cutter" after castrating a couple of local fishermen.
The specimen snagged by Lindgreen measured just less than 8 inches (20 centimeters) long but the pacu can grow much larger. Some can even weigh as much as 55 pounds (25 kg), according to the University of Copenhagen.
According to Møller, amateur aquarium owners and fish farmers are the "usual suspects" when an exotic fish like the pacu ends up on the loose.
"It is not unlikely that someone has emptied their fish tank into a nearby stream just before a vacation and that the pacu then swam out into the brackish waters of Oresund," Møller explained in a statement. "We don't know of any commercial farming of pacus in Europe. But just like the piranhas the pacus are quite easy for amateurs to raise."
Researchers still have to confirm the identity of the fish through genetic testing, since there are several species of pacu that look similar when young and hybrid species produced in the aquaculture business.
But for now the University of Copenhagen had some cautionary advice for the public: "Anyone choosing to bathe in the Oresund these days had best keep their swimsuits well tied."
Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/testicle-biting-fish-may-invading-denmark-165855557.html#TkxoTze
Re: Penis-Biting Fish May Be Invading Denmark
I swim in that water every week!
LMR Agera- Posts : 342
Join date : 2013-05-07
Location : Sweden
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:03 am by Joe Pinder
» Le Mans Rennsport Achievements
Thu Sep 08, 2016 11:20 am by LMR Hybrid
» Hey guys!
Sun Aug 14, 2016 7:15 am by TheMorVic
» Hello
Sat Jul 02, 2016 1:41 am by IBlueIJaBBRexI
» LMR Forum Signature Update
Thu May 26, 2016 12:59 pm by LMR Deftone MX
» Evening All
Wed May 18, 2016 1:29 pm by LMR Deftone MX
» hello
Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:50 am by LMR Deftone MX
» TEC 2016 General Discussion
Wed Dec 23, 2015 10:03 am by LMR Minardi
» V8 Supercar Team Construction
Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:33 pm by LMR Deftone MX
» TCC Season 11 Team Construction
Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:13 am by LMR Hybrid