‘Killer’ piranhas get bad press, say scientists

PIRANHAS may not deserve their reputation as the ferocious man-eaters that almost made mincemeat of James Bond, research shows.

Scientists found the South American carnivores swim in dense shoals not to hunt down victims but to protect themselves.

The fish, which inhabit flooded Amazon forests, are usually depicted as merciless killers which overwhelm large animals by force of numbers and strip them to the bone with razor sharp teeth.

In the Bond film You Only Live Twice, super-villain Ernst Blofeld uses Piranhas to dispose of his enemies.

But researchers from the University of St Andrews in Scotland claim the creatures are misunderstood.

Rather than being murderous hunters, they are scavenging omnivores whose diet chiefly consists of other fish, plant material and insects, say the scientists.

They are also likely to be eaten themselves.

Like other shoaling fish, piranhas swim in large groups to protect themselves by safety in numbers, the research suggests.

Professor Anne Magurran said: “Piranhas are under constant attack from a number of large predators, including river dolphins, caiman (a relative of the crocodile), and some of the world’s largest fish, such as the piracucu, which can grow up to three metres long. Their cautious behaviour is crucial to avoid being eaten.”