Thames Piranha

[Mighty_Emperor]

Thu 19 Feb 2004


9:13pm (UK)

'Man-Eating' Piranha Drops in on A Thames Barge

By Pat Hurst, PA News


A deadly Piranha fish has been found on the Thames, the Environment Agency said tonight.

The 10cm killer with razor sharp teeth was dropped on to the deck of a boat on the Thames by a seagull, it is believed.

Piranha are the world’s most ferocious freshwater fish and will attack any creature in the water whatever its size – including humans.

It is thought its owner had released it into the Thames – where it soon died because of the cold and was picked up by the bird.

It was dropped on to the deck of the Thames Bubbler at Halfway Reach in Dagenham, east London – more than 5,000 miles away from its tropical home in the Amazon River in South America.

Crew on the boat, owned by Thames Water and used to pump oxygen into the water to keep fish alive, suspected it was a piranha – but could not work out what the fish was doing on the Thames.

It was fresh and had only just died with marks from the seagull’s beak still on its back. It was taken to London Aquarium to confirm its species.

Paul Hale, curator of the aquarium said: “It is definitely a Red Bellied Piranha, but it would not survive in the low temperatures of the Thames, and we imagine it was probably released and then floated to the surface where it was picked up by one of the hungry seagulls and deposited onto the boat.”

Red Bellied Piranhas (Pygocentrus nattereri) have short powerful jaws lined with razor sharp teeth capable of devouring 16cm of flesh with each bite.

They hunt in shoals capable of stripping and eating even large prey in a matter of seconds.

Experts say their reputation for attacking humans is exaggerated, but it is thought a shoal of the fish devoured up to 300 people when their boat capsized and sank near Obidos in Brazil in September 1981.

Piranha attacks on bathers have also been increasing in Brazil due to the damming of certain rivers.

But the fish can not survive in temperatures below 15C for more than a few days – and the temperature of the Thames is currently 10C.

Mr Hale said anyone on the Thames would be safe.

He added: “Piranhas are generally nervous and not the ferocious killers people think they are. They prey on weak and injured animals, including fish, birds and mammals, as well as carrion.”

The dead piranha, found on Tuesday, is being kept in deep freeze by the Environment Agency who warned it was an offence to release any non-native species into the wild.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2552546

 

[Mama_Kitty]

Piranha hits boat in Thames

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3505171.stm

Killer fish hits boat in Thames

A killer fish has been found on the Thames in London - more than 5,000 miles (8,046km) from its tropical home in the Amazon River in South America.
A seagull is thought to have dropped the carnivorous, razor-toothed,red-bellied piranha on to a boat's deck.

It had only just died, with marks from the seagull's beak still on its back.

It is thought its owner had released it into the river - but the fish cannot survive for more than a few days in temperatures below 15C (59F).

The piranha landed on the Thames Bubbler at Halfway Reach, Dagenham, east London.

Owned by Thames Water, the boat pumps oxygen to keep the river's 119 types of fish alive.

Powerful jaws

The world's most ferocious freshwater fish, piranhas will attack any creature in the water whatever its size - including humans.

They hunt in shoals capable of stripping and eating even large prey in a matter of seconds.

And their powerful jaws can devour 6in (15.24cm) of flesh with every bite.

One shoal is thought to have devoured up to 300 people whose boat sank near Obidos, Brazil, in September 1981.

The Environment Agency said it was an offence to release non-native species into the wild.

 

[stonedog3]

oooh! I opened this just as radio 4 started on about it


Kath

 

[skitster]

Rains of fish I can just about handle, rains of piranha, oh, I don't know.

 

[OneWingedBird]

Aren't Pirahna supposed to be very friendly really.

I thought it's only when the water levels got low and you get them concentrated in small pools that they can go into a frenzy?

 

[Anonymous]

Rains of fish I can just about handle, rains of piranha, oh, I don't know.

It's a sign! It's a sign, I tell you! :eek!!!!:


Remember folks, piranha are not just for Christmas.

 

[Min Bannister]

Aren't Pirahna supposed to be very friendly really.

I thought it's only when the water levels got low and you get them concentrated in small pools that they can go into a frenzy?

Don't know about friendly but they are very shy fish and need to live in a shoal. That single one would have died anyway by itself through stress. They shouldn't be sold as pets in my opinion. I think people just buy them because they think its hard.

 

[Anonymous]

Piranha found in the Thames

Original Article

Piranha found in the Thames
By Valentine Low, Evening Standard
20 February 2004
WARNING! A non-native fish found on the Thames has been identified as a piranha.

The carnivore - which, when in a feeding frenzy will attack any creature, including humans - was dropped by a seagull onto the deck of a boat. It is believed to have been released into the Thames by its owner.

It had only just died when it fell on the Thames Bubbler at Halfway Reach in Dagenham - more than 5,000 miles from its Amazon home.

The crew suspected the 10cm fish was a piranha and it was taken to the London Aquarium. Curator Paul Hale said: "It is a red-bellied piranha. It was probably released and floated to the surface where it was picked up by a seagull."

The red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri), has short, powerful jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth capable of devouring 16cm of flesh with each bite. They hunt in shoals and can eat even large prey in seconds. It is thought a shoal ate up to 300 people when their boat sank near Obidos in Brazil in 1981.

But the fish cannot survive at temperatures of below 15C for more than a few days - and the Thames is currently 10C. Mr Hale added: "Piranhas are generally nervous, not the ferocious killers people think. They prey on weak, injured animals."

The dead fish, found on Tuesday, is being kept in deep freeze by the Environment Agency, which warned it was an offence to release any non-native species into the wild.

 

[Anonymous]

Holly Sychcronous Postings Emps... WE posted the same story on different areas at 11:33 and some seconds... Mine's the London Standard take

 

[TheQuixote]

Killer fish hits boat in Thames

A killer fish has been found on the Thames in London - more than 5,000 miles (8,046km) from its tropical home in the Amazon River in South America.

A seagull is thought to have dropped the carnivorous, razor-toothed,red-bellied piranha on to a boat's deck.

It had only just died, with marks from the seagull's beak still on its back.

It is thought its owner had released it into the river - but the fish cannot survive for more than a few days in temperatures below 15C (59F).

The piranha landed on the Thames Bubbler at Halfway Reach, Dagenham, east London.

Owned by Thames Water, the boat pumps oxygen to keep the river's 119 types of fish alive.

Powerful jaws

The world's most ferocious freshwater fish, piranhas will attack any creature in the water whatever its size - including humans.

They hunt in shoals capable of stripping and eating even large prey in a matter of seconds.

And their powerful jaws can devour 6in (15.24cm) of flesh with every bite.

One shoal is thought to have devoured up to 300 people whose boat sank near Obidos, Brazil, in September 1981.

The Environment Agency said it was an offence to release non-native species into the wild.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3505171.stm

20/02/04