Why are my piranhas eating each other?

So occasionally when resources are low and competition for food is high, piranhas have been known to take a chunk out of a fellow piranha, living or dead.
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Do piranhas attack other piranhas?

In reality, even of the most vicious, carnivorous piranhas only tend to attack animals smaller than themselves, such as other piranhas, fish, frogs, insects or birds. It is only if they are extremely hungry, or if the victim is weak or injured, that they will attack larger animals.
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Do piranhas ever accidentally bite each other?

A school of piranhas in feeding frenzy will often accidentally have one or two piranhas of their school bitten by other piranhas of the same school. The injured piranhas will be seen as food by the other piranhas and the school will eat them.
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How many piranhas should be kept together?

Behavior/Compatibility for Piranhas

Some experts recommend keeping them individually or in groups of 5 or more to avoid cannibalism. They can be shy and a bit skittish, especially when kept singly or when they are first introduced into an aquarium.
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What causes a piranha to attack?

Red-bellied piranha attacks tend to peak in the dry season when food is scarce and water levels are low, which leads to heavier-than-usual concentrations of hungry fish. Still, even these dry season attacks are normally limited to small but painful nips to the hands and feet; fatal attacks are quite rare.
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THE TRUTH ABOUT My PIRANHAS... you should know this about them

What is the most aggressive piranha?

Black Piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus) are the largest and most aggressive of all the Piranha species. They are like bodybuilders on steroids and are completely gray and black.
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What animal kills piranhas?

Piranhas' natural predators include crocodiles, Amazon river dolphins (botos), and herons. With the decline of these predators, piranha populations are increasing in certain rivers. Humans also hunt piranhas for their meat and for the pet trade. It is legal to have piranhas as pets in some areas.
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What is the lifespan of a piranha?

Adult piranhas are approximately 12 inches long and can weigh up to four pounds. A piranha's lifespan is up to 10 years.
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How much can 1 piranha eat?

But, let's be generous and say that these piranha are really hungry and could eat 1/8th of their body weight in a feed (which is behavior that has been observed in the aquarium) — which would be 68 grams [2.4 oz] per fish.
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How fast can a pack of piranhas eat a human?

But what if you starved a shoal of piranhas to the point of brazen action? It would take between 300 and 500 to devour an adult human. Sure, they could do it with startling rapidity (in about five minutes) because of their nasty rows of teeth and powerful jaws.
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What fish eats a piranha?

Answer and Explanation: There are a few different organisms that eat piranhas within South America. Caimans, pink dolphins, and some birds are predators that eat piranhas.... See full answer below.
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What can piranhas do in minutes?

Piranhas are known for their quick and efficient feeding habits. They are able to consume their prey quickly, often in a matter of minutes. The speed at which they consume their food depends on several factors, such as the size of the prey and the number of piranhas present.
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Are piranhas attracted to blood?

Although piranhas are attracted to the smell of blood, most species scavenge more than they kill. Some 12 species called wimple piranhas (genus Catoprion) survive solely on morsels nipped from the fins and scales of other fishes, which then swim free to heal completely.
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Who would win a shark or a piranha?

The shark is too heavy, too big, it can't move or bite fast enough to kill lots of piranhas. It could maybe eat a little group of them. But against 1000 the shark is doomed.
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Do piranhas live with alligators?

No. Because an alligator and a piranha are fresh water creatures whereas the other three are salt water creatures.
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Why are piranhas illegal?

If introduced outside of their native range, piranhas would not only prey on native species, but compete with them for food and habitat as well, which could lead to a reduction in the abundance and diversity of native species. California native fish and amphibian populations would be especially at risk if piranha were ...
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How fast can a piranha eat a dog?

"So, if we had a 50-pound (22.7 kilograms) dog - and subtracted 10 pounds (4.5 kg) to account for bone and fur - it would take around 267 adult piranha about three minutes to eat it," Allison said. However, they prefer munching on smaller fish or fruit and tough food like shellfish rather than feasting on dogs.
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What size tank do I need for piranhas?

Piranha aquarium

These fish naturally reach a size of up to 12” and should be kept in groups. Although some sources mention a minimum tank size as small as 55 gallons, you'll actually realistically be looking at something of 200 gallons or preferably more. A small aquarium results in stunted growth and miserable fish.
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What is the oldest piranha?

This bony creature, found in South Germany, lived about 150 million years ago and had the distinctive sharp teeth of modern-day piranhas. These Jurassic marauders used their razor teeth to tear chunks of flesh and fins off other fish.
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What's a baby piranha called?

The newly hatched piranhas, known as fry, rely on a yolk sac for nutrition during the first days of life. As they mature, the juvenile fish use water plants as cover and survive on small crustaceans, worms and insects.
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Will piranhas bite you?

Most piranha attacks on humans only result in minor injuries, typically to the feet or hands, but they are occasionally more serious and very rarely can be fatal.
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Can piranhas smell blood?

As for blood, it likely does not render a piranha senseless as the movies would suggest, but piranhas can smell a drop of blood in 200 liters of water. So, if you are a bleeding, rambunctious child, a dip in the Amazon might not be the best idea.
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Can piranhas survive in a pool?

Lewbart explained that the chlorine would cause rapid damage to the fish's gills and reduce the ability of their blood to carry oxygen, leading to death. These piranhas would be in shock and unlikely to swim across the length of a pool to mount an unprovoked attack.
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