A pacu’s flat teeth are excellent for grinding up the seeds and grains that make up a large part of their diet. This gives pacu the appearance of having human teeth. One of the easiest ways to identify a pacu is by their teeth, which are square and straight. Although their jaws are very powerful, pacu rarely become aggressive toward people and will only bite if harassed or provoked. Pacu almost never bite humansĭespite the urban legends, pacu do not prey on humans. However, when temperatures drop below 16–18 ☌ (about 60–64.5☏), many pacu will refuse to eat and may begin losing weight or becoming ill. Their natural tropical and subtropical habitat stays warm enough that their appetite is not affected.
Whether a pacu will eat depends on how cold they are. The pacu is known for feeding on fruit and decaying plant matter, a behavior that has earned them the nickname “the vegetarian piranha.” Although they eat primarily plant material, pacu also eat snails, earthworms, grains, and other fish. Today, they can be found as far away as Europe, northern parts of the United States, and Canada. They were introduced throughout the world by the aquaculture and pet trades. The pacu’s original habitat spanned throughout tropical and subtropical freshwater environments in South America. Pacu have square teeth and eat mostly plant material, and piranha have pointed teeth and eat mostly other animals. However, there are important differences in tooth shape and diet that set pacu apart from piranhas. They’re not piranhasĪt first glance, a pacu and a piranha look very similar, and both belong to the Serrasalmidae family. Others use characteristics of fish anatomy, such as fin and tooth shape, to draw conclusions about the evolutionary history of the different kinds of fish. Some forms of analysis use DNA to investigate the relationships among the different fishes. Researchers can’t seem to agree on which fish are considered pacu or how these fish are related to one another. This species is best known for having vivid red scales on the ventral surface, or underside, of its body. When most people think of pacu, they are likely thinking of Piaractus brachypomus, also known as a red-bellied pacu or pirapitinga.
Although the many species of pacu belong to different genera, they are all known for their large size and unusual teeth. They are found throughout the world, both in captivity and in the wild. The name pacu refers to many different species of fish in the Serrasalmidae family and 8 different genera: Colossoma (black pacu, black-finned pacu, and giant pacu), Metynnis, Mylesinus, Mylossoma, Ossubtus (parrot pacu and eaglebeak pacu), Piaractus (red-bellied pacu and small-scaled pacu), Tometes, and Utiaritichthys. Narrow, plate-shaped bodies with dorsal and ventral fins, small eyes, & silvery scalesįruit, seeds, decaying plant matter, grains, snails, & other fish Up to 15 years in the wild or 25 years in captivity
Originally tropical & subtropical South America but now found throughout USA, Europe & Asia They are known as the ‘vegetarian piranha’ and have human-like teeth. Pacu is the common name given to several species of fish from different genera.Īll of these fish have a few things in common, including freshwater habitats, plate-shaped bodies, and fins on their back, stomach, sides, and tail.
0 kommentar(er)
