They live in shoals but do not group hunt, although they may occasionally enter into feeding frenzies. Sometimes, they may inhabit flooded forests such as those found in the Brazilian Amazon. The red-bellied piranha is typically found in white water rivers, such as the Amazon River Basin, and in some streams and lakes. Females can be distinguished from males by the slightly deeper red color of their bellies. The pectoral and pelvic fins may vary from red to orange. Sometimes, blackish spots appear behind the gills and the anal fin is usually black at the base. The rest of the body is often grey with silver-flecked scales. The species can reach up to 3.9 kg (8 lb 10 oz) in weight and 50 cm (20 in) in standard length but rarely surpass 35 cm (14 in). ![]() As their name suggests, red-bellied piranhas have a reddish tinge to the belly when fully grown, although juveniles are a silver color with darker spots. The red-bellied piranha has a popular reputation as a ferocious predator, despite being primarily a scavenger. Description Pairi Daiza Jaw bone with razor-shape teeth in Cologne Zoo nattereri and encourage surveillance to prevent its introduction. In 1998 a single specimen was found in a lake in a golf course in Simi Valley, Ventura County, California. No piranha is found in the United States including this one. : 75 First detected in 1990 they have since become invasive in the country. They were introduced to China, probably by the aquarium trade. The red-bellied piranha live in major rivers, streams, lakes (such as oxbows and artificial lakes formed by dams), floodplains, and flooded forests. They are mainly found in whitewater, but have also been recorded in blackwater and clearwater. They can live in waters that are between 15 and 35 ☌ (59–95 ☏) but are able to survive temperatures as low as 10 ☌ (50 ☏) for a period. They live in the warm freshwater drainages of several major rivers including the Amazon, Paraguay, Paraná, and Essequibo, as well as numerous smaller systems. The red-bellied piranha is distributed widely throughout the South American continent and is found in the Neotropical rivers of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. However, the red-bellied piranha is actually omnivorous. The red-bellied piranha is often thought of as highly carnivorous, while most other fish that are not piranhas in the family are primarily herbivorous. Within the family, red-bellied piranhas are classified in the genus Pygocentrus, which is distinguished by the unusual dentition and differing head width dimensions. ![]() They are characterized by deep, lateral compressed bodies and long dorsal fins. The red-bellied piranha belongs to the family Serrasalmidae, which is a group of medium to large-sized characids and includes other closely related omnivores such as pacus. Acoustic communication is common and is sometimes exhibited along with aggressive behaviors. Red-bellied piranhas often travel in shoals as a predatory defense but rarely exhibit group hunting behavior. They are not a migratory species but do travel to seek out conditions conducive to breeding and spawning during periods of increased rainfall. They are omnivorous foragers and feed on insects, worms, crustaceans, and fish. This fish is locally abundant in its freshwater habitat. The red-bellied piranha, also known as the red piranha ( Pygocentrus nattereri), is a type of piranha native to South America, found in the Amazon, Paraguay, Paraná and Essequibo basins, as well as coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil.
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