Obviously, many of us have heard of or witnessed piranhas in the wild attacking an unsuspecting swimmer or fisherman. Well, while piranhas might have a scary reputation and the appearance of an angry-faced, sharp-toothed monster, they are actually not that bad.
Where To Buy Piranhas In California
In fact, it is somewhat rare to find them in aquariums, because they are considered wild and selling them in a good number of states in the United States is outright illegal. But then, the sale of piranhas is permitted in some states, but are however quite pricey to buy.
Thus, as a result of the harms involved, the government has, in many states banned them from being sold, bought or kept. In other places where they are permitted, it is only expected that they cost so much.
As a result of the danger, they pose, not only in an aquarium, but to other wildlife and also to people, the importation, sale, purchase and keeping of piranhas are legally banned in a number of states in the United States.
California is one of the states where piranhas are illegal. You cannot legally keep a piranha in California. In fact, piranhas are not found in California, and the state has a history of the authorities finding and recapturing piranhas that have reportedly been wreaking havoc in the surroundings.
Many states do not permit the keeping of piranhas, mostly because they can survive on their own in warmer climate conditions. If you have a piranha in Florida, then it means you have a special permit to do so.
Piranha owners who release their piranhas into the wild either by mistake or intentionally put other organisms and unsuspecting people in danger. This is why the existence of piranhas in random places is highly prohibited, so as to prevent attacks in the environment.
A goldfish as a diet would be toxic to the health of your goldfish and may cause it to die. But on the average, piranhas would eat anything they are served with, and a varied diet in medium proportions would be appropriate.
However, popular species are known to be very aggressive. Out of the 20 known species, only a few are known to be dangerous. The most aggressive piranhas are the red-bellied piranha (Pygogcentrus nattereri) and the black piranha.
Although it is known that very experienced aquarists can successfully keep smaller sized fishes like guppies and tetras with piranhas, when closely monitored. They can stay in a peaceful environment, but this can change very quickly.
Your aquarium would definitely look more exciting if you can pull off keeping a piranha and nurturing it to maturity. This is vital, seeing as the cost of keeping and maintaining piranhas is too high to have them die or live in unsuitable conditions.
It is LEGAL to own piranhas in some states including Michigan, New Hampshire, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North and South Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming and Wisconsin. The state of Ohio allows piranhas for purchase, but some cities and counties in Ohio have prohibited them. We can and will ship to these states.
Their sale and possession is BANNED or HEAVILY REGULATED in Alabama, Alaska, California, New York, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Florida, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Mississippi, Utah, Texas, Washington, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio (some cities and counties), Virginia, Idaho, Connecticut and Massachusetts. We cannot sell or ship piranhas to these states.
Piranhas are freshwater, tropical fishes belonging to the family Characidae, which also includes pacus and tetras. Piranhas have deep, laterally compressed bodies. They vary in color by location, population, and age, but many are silvery-gray or golden and some have bright colors such as red or orange on their head, belly, or fins. Piranhas have short, powerful jaws, and lower jaws that protrude beyond their upper jaws. Both jaws are lined with sharp triangular teeth, which allow piranhas to bite into and tear the flesh of their prey. Piranhas commonly grow to 12 inches in length and weigh less than two pounds, but have been reported to grow up to 16 inches and over 7 pounds.
Piranhas are not currently found in California or elsewhere in the United States. One piranha was captured in a pond in Riverside County, California in 1987; the pond was subsequently drained and no additional piranhas were found. Two piranhas were reported and one collected in a park pond in Santa Barbara County, California in 1989, however experts suggest that these fish may have actually been pacu. In 1998, a single red-bellied piranha was collected from a Simi Valley Golf Course lake in Ventura County, California. Piranhas have been reported or collected in several states across the U.S. and in Lake Ontario, Canada, but no successful populations have established. Piranhas have been eradicated in Florida waterbodies on three occasions in 1962, 1977, and 2009.
Piranhas are native to the central and southern river systems of South America, where they inhabit tropical rivers and streams and are often found in murky water. When collected in the United States they have been found in ponds, lakes, rivers, and borrow pits. Piranhas can survive in water temperatures as low as 50ÂF, and likely establish in waters as low as 57ÂF. Studies suggest piranhas may be able to overwinter and persist in the waters of southern California, if introduced, as water temperatures in the region are comparable to conditions found in the southernmost areas of their native range.
Piranhas are aggressive predators that lurk in vegetation and ambush and chase prey. Their diet consists mostly of insects, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, small fish, and some plant matter, but they often feed in large groups to kill larger prey like capybaras. Piranhas have few predators in the wild except man. 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 to ever become established in the state. Piranhas are rumored to have a reputation for attacking humans, but experts believe this may be an exaggeration and suggest that piranhas pose little threat to humans.
Zimerman was charged in a 13-count indictment with using his company, the Hawthorne-based River Wonders LLC, to import piranhas and river stingrays into the United States. Zimerman allegedly possessed those fish in California, and then they were advertised for sale, sold to customers, and shipped to states outside of California. The indictment also contains allegations that Zimerman engaged in additional criminal conduct related to the falsification of documents, obstruction of proceedings, false statements, and smuggling of protected Arapaima gigas from the United States while on pre-trial release.
Pacu and piranha can be differentiated by the shape of their mouth and teeth. When the mouth of a pacu is opened the gap between the upper and lower lip form a squarish gap, whereas on the piranha the upper and lower lip form a V-shape. And while pacu teeth may appear sharp, they are no comparison to those of piranha, which are as sharp as razors.
State Fish and Game officials said Wednesday they are convinced that two exotic fish caught last weekend in a fishing hole near the central San Joaquin Valley farm town of Kerman do not represent a dangerous onslaught of South American piranhas, the furious, flesh-eating pit bulls of the deep.
It was not a pacu, the mostly vegetarian relative and fellow South American native of the carnivorous piranha. Almost invariably, "piranhas" caught from waterways in the United States are misidentified pacu.
But not this fish. It was the real thing - Pygocentrus nattereri, a native of the Amazon basin and the stuff of legends built around piranhas' aggressive carnivore behavior and a set of teeth that can easily and efficiently rip apart its victims.
Possessing and releasing live piranhas and dozens of other exotic, harmful or potentially harmful fish species is prohibited by Texas law. Yet every year, increasing numbers of prohibited fish, which have the potential to do great harm to native fish and the ecosystems in which they live, are discovered in Texas waters.
Texas law prohibits sale and possession of live piranhas and other dangerous or potentially dangerous fish, but many states do not. Federal law prohibits importation of only a handful of fish - snakeheads, "walking" catfish, silver, big-head and black carp.
But all it takes to get a box holding a dozen live, red-bellied piranhas or a freshwater stingray or any of dozens of fish banned in Texas delivered to a door in Texas is an Internet connection and a credit card.
Piranhas, which have been documented in waterways in a dozen states, have not established populations where they have been found in North America. But that possibility exists if the fish are given enough opportunities through illegal releases.
But research presented by the American Fisheries Society indicates piranhas "might" be able to "overwinter" in waters in parts of the Deep South, including the southern third of Texas. The research indicates piranhas "could" live in winter in deep South Texas and most of Florida.
"I had blood all over my foot and in between my toes," Sauvage said. "It was like small piranhas had bit me." But after she rinsed off her feet with water the pain subsided within 15 to 20 minutes, she added.
Water-line isopods are found year-round along the California coastline and on beaches in the Pacific Northwest regions of the United States and Canada. People can be bitten anywhere the tiny critters congregate, and though groups of biting incidents rarely occur consistently in a single area, they do sometimes happen.
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