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Ahoy Piranha

Photo: AP

Fearsome predator? Or omnivore?

The piranha’s reputation as a fearsome predator may not be fully deserved, scientists in the U.K. have announced. Found in the Amazon, piranha fish have been portrayed as killer carnivores who work together to overwhelm their prey and strip its flesh. But experts from St. Andrews University say that piranhas are omnivores who mainly eat fish, plants and insects. They form large groups not to hunt but to defend themselves against other predators, the team said. Piranh as could be attacked by dolphins, caimans and large fish, and forming a shoal is their way of avoiding being eaten. At high water the fish swim in small shoals, as there is more space to avoid predators, and the threat is low. However, when the water level drops, isolating the flood water into smaller lakes and channels, shoals can grow to over 50 fish due to the close proximity of predators.

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